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novellearts's reviews
1746 reviews
Kiss of the Basilisk by Lindsay Straube
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I’m somewhere between 1.5-1.75/5 stars.
The writing was not good, the characters felt flat, and the plot was lacking. There were some good sex scenes but I like my smut with some depth. This wasn’t that. If you want to read smut for the sake of reading smut then you should be okay with this but if you’re looking for something elevated, it’s not this book.
This book was also primarily sex. That’s really all it was. Again, fine if that’s what you want but as I stated, I like to have plot and better writing.
This book was also incredibly ridiculous. I found myself laughing out loud at times. While it wasn’t “good” in my opinion, it was still entertaining. But I was surprised by the poor writing. It was certainly a weird read and I have to give the author credit for that.
I’ve seen very conflicting ratings and reviews for this book and I knew I needed to see for myself what this was about. I genuinely think this is worth testing out just for the sake of seeing the craziness but maybe aim for a Libby hold. The cover is beautiful but I only wish the contents inside lived up to the exterior.
10/10 for the threesome scene at the end though. Thoroughly enjoyed that, HA!
The writing was not good, the characters felt flat, and the plot was lacking. There were some good sex scenes but I like my smut with some depth. This wasn’t that. If you want to read smut for the sake of reading smut then you should be okay with this but if you’re looking for something elevated, it’s not this book.
This book was also primarily sex. That’s really all it was. Again, fine if that’s what you want but as I stated, I like to have plot and better writing.
This book was also incredibly ridiculous. I found myself laughing out loud at times. While it wasn’t “good” in my opinion, it was still entertaining. But I was surprised by the poor writing. It was certainly a weird read and I have to give the author credit for that.
I’ve seen very conflicting ratings and reviews for this book and I knew I needed to see for myself what this was about. I genuinely think this is worth testing out just for the sake of seeing the craziness but maybe aim for a Libby hold. The cover is beautiful but I only wish the contents inside lived up to the exterior.
10/10 for the threesome scene at the end though. Thoroughly enjoyed that, HA!
The House That Held Her by Ellis Hart
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm so glad that I had the chance to read this book!! There's so much mystery revolving around this house that Margot moves into. As the reader, we're unsure whether there is a supernatural presence, whether Margot is a reliable narrator or not, or if there's something completely different going on. I loved the sleuthing in this book and the reveal at the end. To be incredibly vague so as not to spoil the ending, I'm appreciative of the extra perspective we gained before the book wrapped up. It answered a lot of questions that cropped up during the story that we may not have gotten answers to otherwise.
The character development was fantastic. The characters were multilayered and conflicting. This is a book that I would love to purchase for my shelves once published.
Thank you to BookSirens, the author, and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own!
Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7433957963
Fable Review: https://fable.co/review/8dfd74ea-8add-4bd9-9705-344f8fa934ed/share
The character development was fantastic. The characters were multilayered and conflicting. This is a book that I would love to purchase for my shelves once published.
Thank you to BookSirens, the author, and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own!
Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7433957963
Fable Review: https://fable.co/review/8dfd74ea-8add-4bd9-9705-344f8fa934ed/share
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Scuttle by Barnaby Walter
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
3.5/5 stars.
I had no idea what to expect going into this book but I never would've anticipated what I got. I've been enjoying going into books mostly blind and that's exactly what I did with this one. I really only read the genre, title, and briefly looked at the cover. Had I investigated the cover a bit more, I suppose I could've had a bit of an idea what I was getting myself into but I didn't. I think this was definitely more enjoyable not knowing what to expect.
This reminded me of a darker version ofThe Metamorphosis . The characters were not likable but that didn't hinder the reading experience.
Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7439609032
Fable Review: https://fable.co/review/22ce9168-ce95-4db7-9b2d-86bdde23d520/share
I had no idea what to expect going into this book but I never would've anticipated what I got. I've been enjoying going into books mostly blind and that's exactly what I did with this one. I really only read the genre, title, and briefly looked at the cover. Had I investigated the cover a bit more, I suppose I could've had a bit of an idea what I was getting myself into but I didn't. I think this was definitely more enjoyable not knowing what to expect.
This reminded me of a darker version of
Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7439609032
Fable Review: https://fable.co/review/22ce9168-ce95-4db7-9b2d-86bdde23d520/share
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia
Anathema by Nick Roberts
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4.5 rounded down.
I've read a few books by Nick Roberts now and a common theme is the strong gore! His books are always ones that I would advise checking the trigger warnings before reading. If you have a weak stomach, this is definitely not for you.
I enjoyed the confusion and mystery while trying to discover what was going on inside of this family's house. I applaud books that show characters battling and overcoming addiction and domestic struggles. I liked that these characters were not perfect and were openly flawed.
I'll admit, I don't have children but I'll never understand why parents never believe their kids in horror books! I would like to think if my kid said someone was coming into their room at night, I would take that very seriously. But what do I know? Besides that being my biggest peeve within this story, I thought it was great horror book. Nick Roberts is an author that I'll continually read.
If you pick this up, be prepared for a gross, gruesome, and uncomfortable adventure.
Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7153355804
Fable Review: https://fable.co/review/7996c850-d8ef-4518-8c6f-064726111c30/share
I've read a few books by Nick Roberts now and a common theme is the strong gore! His books are always ones that I would advise checking the trigger warnings before reading. If you have a weak stomach, this is definitely not for you.
I enjoyed the confusion and mystery while trying to discover what was going on inside of this family's house. I applaud books that show characters battling and overcoming addiction and domestic struggles. I liked that these characters were not perfect and were openly flawed.
I'll admit, I don't have children but I'll never understand why parents never believe their kids in horror books! I would like to think if my kid said someone was coming into their room at night, I would take that very seriously. But what do I know? Besides that being my biggest peeve within this story, I thought it was great horror book. Nick Roberts is an author that I'll continually read.
If you pick this up, be prepared for a gross, gruesome, and uncomfortable adventure.
Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7153355804
Fable Review: https://fable.co/review/7996c850-d8ef-4518-8c6f-064726111c30/share
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Rose of Jericho by Alex Grecian
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
1.0
Couldn't get into this at all.
Below the Grand Hotel by Cat Scully
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
3.5/5 stars rounded down.
The tone in this book was more light-hearted than I expected it to be yet it was still packed with gore. It was a nice contrast.
I think relating this book to The Great Gatsby was a bit of a miss. I really didn't get those vibes from this book except for some of the hotel descriptions. But I wouldn't say to go into this expecting too much on that front.
I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the hotel and the storyline but for being such a short book, it started to feel like the story was dragging a bit. Between 60-80%, I started to feel the drag. That is ultimately what lowered my rating from 4 stars.
The characters are conflicting. While they aren't exactly good characters, morally, I still found myself liking them. I think they were pretty well-rounded given the shortness of this book. I didn't feel like they were lacking.
As I briefly stated, there is a decent amount of gore. Some pertaining to children. If you can't stomach any harm coming to children, then you might struggle here.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7178691338
Fable Review: https://fable.co/review/3646c4ad-9c40-45fe-946b-529672b3f38b/share
The tone in this book was more light-hearted than I expected it to be yet it was still packed with gore. It was a nice contrast.
I think relating this book to The Great Gatsby was a bit of a miss. I really didn't get those vibes from this book except for some of the hotel descriptions. But I wouldn't say to go into this expecting too much on that front.
I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the hotel and the storyline but for being such a short book, it started to feel like the story was dragging a bit. Between 60-80%, I started to feel the drag. That is ultimately what lowered my rating from 4 stars.
The characters are conflicting. While they aren't exactly good characters, morally, I still found myself liking them. I think they were pretty well-rounded given the shortness of this book. I didn't feel like they were lacking.
As I briefly stated, there is a decent amount of gore. Some pertaining to children. If you can't stomach any harm coming to children, then you might struggle here.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7178691338
Fable Review: https://fable.co/review/3646c4ad-9c40-45fe-946b-529672b3f38b/share
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Kingdom of Claw by Demi Winters
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
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
I'm still recovering from the flu so I don't want to write a long review but figured I'd throw some thoughts down.
I'm so happy with the way these characters are developing. The biggest relief was having more Rey content. I'm not sure I could've read this book if I had to continue reading aboutJonas as the love interest. I was rooting for Rey from the beginning and was so disappointed when Silla didn't go for him.
Both FMC's have an interesting storyline. Usually when there are multiple perspectives like this, I find that I'm waiting around and anticipating one more than the other. Thankfully, I don't feel that way with this series. I enjoy both sets of storylines and love interests and I can't wait for when they inevitably merge together. Saga's story is particularly tragic at the moment and I'm deeply hoping that she catches a break in the next book.
I also found it interesting to see how the villain plot line is progressing. I'm honestly kicking my feet in the air at the turn of events from book 1 hehe.Yes, I'm being a Jonas hater. I'm feeling like he may have a redemption arc at some point later in the series though.
I don't know why but at the beginning I had a little bit of trouble locking in with reading this but that quickly went away. I have no idea how many books there are meant to be in this series but I'm hoping for 3 or 4. If you know me, you know I struggle to stay focused on longer series.
So curious to see where this goes. I'm glad we got more background history and got to see more of the Galdra and their abilities.
This ended up being a longer review than I was originally planning. Enjoy the yapping!
Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7366101463
Fable Review: https://fable.co/review/d164b7f6-8adb-494d-871b-1b24cae4d62f/share
I'm so happy with the way these characters are developing. The biggest relief was having more Rey content. I'm not sure I could've read this book if I had to continue reading about
Both FMC's have an interesting storyline. Usually when there are multiple perspectives like this, I find that I'm waiting around and anticipating one more than the other. Thankfully, I don't feel that way with this series. I enjoy both sets of storylines and love interests and I can't wait for when they inevitably merge together. Saga's story is particularly tragic at the moment and I'm deeply hoping that she catches a break in the next book.
I also found it interesting to see how the villain plot line is progressing. I'm honestly kicking my feet in the air at the turn of events from book 1 hehe.
I don't know why but at the beginning I had a little bit of trouble locking in with reading this but that quickly went away. I have no idea how many books there are meant to be in this series but I'm hoping for 3 or 4. If you know me, you know I struggle to stay focused on longer series.
So curious to see where this goes. I'm glad we got more background history and got to see more of the Galdra and their abilities.
This ended up being a longer review than I was originally planning. Enjoy the yapping!
Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7366101463
Fable Review: https://fable.co/review/d164b7f6-8adb-494d-871b-1b24cae4d62f/share
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail
You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego
1.0
I wanted to DNF this and I should’ve. Didn’t like the characters, the story, the writing. Overall miss for me and this was a chore to read. I only kept reading since I paid for this book.
The Butcher's Daughter: The Hitherto Untold Story of Mrs. Lovett by Corinne Leigh Clark, David Demchuk
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
4.25/5 stars rounded down.
I wish that I had read/watched Sweeney Todd prior to reading The Butcher's Daughter to gain a deeper appreciation for this story. I don't think not having prior knowledge ruined my experience, but I feel like I'm missing out.
This was an incredibly atmospheric, dark, and sinister read. I thought the layout of this book was fun with the addition of letters and the occasional illustration. This is certainly a book that I'll be purchasing for my shelves when it's released.
The writing reads more dated to fit the setting, so if you don't like older style writing, this might bother you. I found that I enjoyed it. The setting would've felt wrong had the writing been more modern. I enjoyed the characters and found myself intrigued by this whole Sweeney Todd universe. The characters were well-written and although they are very morally questionable people, I still found myself cheering on Mrs. Lovett. I'm incredibly curious to see how the stories match up and if I'll feel differently about the characters with the original.
If you haven't read the original then I think you're still able to read this, but in hindsight, I wish that I had taken the time to read it first. I have a creeping suspicion that my rating will be higher on a second read.
Obviously with this story, I would say to check the trigger warnings beforehand. If you're not normally a horror reader, there are definitely many themes that may bother you.
Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7178508767
Fable Review: https://fable.co/review/1a83c7b1-9602-49ba-8d4c-25cc9ea02c35/share
I wish that I had read/watched Sweeney Todd prior to reading The Butcher's Daughter to gain a deeper appreciation for this story. I don't think not having prior knowledge ruined my experience, but I feel like I'm missing out.
This was an incredibly atmospheric, dark, and sinister read. I thought the layout of this book was fun with the addition of letters and the occasional illustration. This is certainly a book that I'll be purchasing for my shelves when it's released.
The writing reads more dated to fit the setting, so if you don't like older style writing, this might bother you. I found that I enjoyed it. The setting would've felt wrong had the writing been more modern. I enjoyed the characters and found myself intrigued by this whole Sweeney Todd universe. The characters were well-written and although they are very morally questionable people, I still found myself cheering on Mrs. Lovett. I'm incredibly curious to see how the stories match up and if I'll feel differently about the characters with the original.
If you haven't read the original then I think you're still able to read this, but in hindsight, I wish that I had taken the time to read it first. I have a creeping suspicion that my rating will be higher on a second read.
Obviously with this story, I would say to check the trigger warnings beforehand. If you're not normally a horror reader, there are definitely many themes that may bother you.
Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7178508767
Fable Review: https://fable.co/review/1a83c7b1-9602-49ba-8d4c-25cc9ea02c35/share
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Infertility