paz_books's reviews
1083 reviews

Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage

3.0

This was exactly what you'd expect it to be, and I'm not mad about it.

I honestly adored the setting, the characters, and most aspects of the romance. The main two characters had such adorable (and less adorable

Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
Did not finish book.

DNF at 34% (page 191).

I might come back to this one because I really did enjoy the prequel (Satan’s Affair), but right now I just can’t force myself to go on anymore.

TW: mentions of r*pe ahead.

Firstly, ‘slow burn’ only works when there is actually a plot going on in the foreground, and that just wasn’t happening here. Then, in terms of it being a Dark Romance, this author needed to pick a lane and not try to have a morally correct yet incorrect love interest. How does the MMC dedicate his life to saving women from sex trafficking/being hurt by men and yet his first physical interaction with the FMC is to r*pe her…? With a literal gun…? That simply does not add up. I also just couldn't bring myself to care about the random mystery elements that were going on either.

In all, there was so little plot for these first 200 pages, the characters weren’t likeable, and the concept just wasn’t working. Considering the book is ~600 pages I couldn’t justify finishing. Again, I might try and read it fully someday because I do enjoy the writing and the prequel gave me hope, but that time is not now.

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

4.0

I liked this series, but I can't pinpoint why I didn't love it.

I really enjoyed the plot, the relationships, Kenji, the dialogue, etc, but there was just something that wasn't connecting with me. I don't feel any urgency to read the other books, and honestly might leave this series here (which I know some people even recommend doing).

Don't get me wrong, I rated this one 4 stars (and the others 3 stars) because it is an objectively good series, I just review based on how attached I am to the world/characters and this one didn't have me hooked.

Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare

3.0

Overall I really enjoyed this book while reading it, but the more I thought about it after, the more flaws I realised it actually had.

Starting with the positives:
-ALISTAIR AND THOMAS (they carried this whole book)
-Grace's whole arc
-Christopher and Grace's unexpected but wholesome friendship
-Will Herondale moments
-'Brother Zachariah' moments
-the alcoholism sub-plot and how it was tackled
-the characters actually felt like their ages, not like the common YA characters who are 16 yet acting like fully matured adults with all possible life experiences
-I actually really enjoyed the plot of this series and it was an awaited thing to crop up since reading TID
-I do like how James' conflicting emotions were covered in terms of what happened with Grace, it wasn't downplayed and didn't shy away from the vulnerable and violated feelings
-Cordelia was honestly so real in all of her actions
-Malcom Fade >>

Things I didn't like:
-That certain depressing goodbye to one of the characters. Not only because I really loved them but it also happened for no reason and we didn't get to see much emotion surrounding it
-This book is insanely long and yet arguably the most important scenes were missed out and just referenced as already happened. Like what? Matthew's confession to his parents? James telling his parents about the bracelet? The reactions to the previous point?
-James... I still do not feel any attachment to him as a character and it is really frustrating me. How is TMI's mr-wants-to-date-his-sister even more likeable than Will Herondale's literal son?!
-The love triangle was so unnecessary; it added nothing to the plot, felt a bit forced, and kinda came out of nowhere
-Jesse and Lucie became irrelevant so quickly? I was loving their relationship but it became a bit bland in this book

Favourite quotes:
“And if I try to kiss you again, you’ll hit me with the poker?” She smiled.
“Not at all. I will do the gentlemanly thing, and hit myself with the poker..." cute

“Instead he sighed and resorted to the last bulwark of an Englishman under stress.
“Tea?” he suggested.

“They framed his black eyes like the petals of a flower.
Petals of a flower? SHUT UP, THOMAS.” oh Thomas

“The bottle requires me.”
“I require you more,” screaming, crying, throwing up

“Look, you need not discuss your feelings about James, Matthew, or whatever other harem of men you may have acquired,” trust Alistair to say it

“Am I so hard to love?” MATTHEW PLEASE, MY FEELINGS

“I see how hatred poisons the person who hates, not the person who is hated.”

Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage

4.0

Wes

The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn

3.0

These books aren't awful... but they aren't great.

I genuinely think that I would not have gotten this far into the series, or even finished book 1, if I did not already love the characters. The diversity and tension just hits so much better in the TV show, so I do think I'm going to stick to watching that over the books.

Sorry not sorry. Nothing beats Netflix's Kathani Sharma (aka the love of my life).

The Songbird and the Sea by MissterMaia

For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.

Never Lie by Freida McFadden

4.0

I don't know what I was expecting, but it was not that.

I don't read thrillers as much as I'd like to, simply because I don't have the patience to wait for the reveal if I don't have enough free time to binge read haha. Having said that, I read this whole book in one very tense, late-night sitting because I needed answers.

I can't say much without giving things away, but I did love this. The writing style was fast-paced and easy to read, yet executed really well for the genre. The characters had me so hooked that I even found myself pretty invested in the romances (which really aren't main plot points).

I also liked all the characters (which is rare), but absolutely adored both the FMCs. They were so much fun to read the POV of, and one of them was simply so entertainingly brutal in how she perceived things.

Have a couple of my favourite quotes as an example:

"How are you? The three most useless words in the universe of communication. Nobody who asks that question wants to know the answer. And nobody who answers ever tells the truth"

and

"Up to seventy percent of females who have been murdered were killed by an intimate partner. So in actuality, her suggestion to “get a boyfriend” is not only highly judgmental and insulting but would only increase my risk of meeting with a violent end."

In brief, the thriller/mystery aspect was everything I could've asked for and more- I had to pick my jaw up from the floor at least three times- and the characters and writing really just added to the quality.

Now I need to figure out which Frieda McFadden book to go for next.

Twisted Lies by Ana Huang

4.0

“The world wasn’t black and white, no matter how much I wished it were. And sometimes, we found our happiness in the shades of gray.”

This might be my favourite in the whole series. (With Twisted Games coming in as a close second.)

I am really frustrated however, as I was so convinced this was going to be a 5 ⭐️ read... and then the last few chapters happened. Mini spoiler:

Spoiler

aka the whole kidnapping plot-line really killed the rhythm and the vibe of the whole relationship and read for me. Why couldn't they realise they do love each other and want to be together without someone being kidnapped...? Something about the way it was portrayed and carried out really didn't feel like the rest of the book. It didn't need to happen, the stalker plot could have been wrapped up in a variety of other ways, but if the author really wanted it to, then it could have been handled differently in my opinion.

But the last section aside, I related to Stella a debatably unhealthy amount. and absolutely adored Christian an equally debatably unhealthy amount. Fake-dating tropes can be really hit or miss for me, but this one was an absolute hit. It was sweet to see Christian come to terms with his long-standing feelings while Stella slowly opens up to him more and more.

I also really enjoyed how involved the characters from the other books were in this one. It was nice to see how the others were evolving in their own relationships and lives; plus the ending chapter was the sweetest little time jump.

In more, this book was almost 600 pages, and yet did not feel like it at all. Usually I reach a bit of a lull or need a mini break from books over 500 pages, yet I sped through this one. That, I think, goes to show just how much I was enjoying it.

Overall, Twisted Love was a wild ride I still can't fathom, Twisted Games was an absolute gem, Twisted Hate I did not care for at all (oops), and Twisted Lies reignited (and even improved) my love for this series.

Ft some examples of why Stella is so relatable:

-“Getting ready was my favorite part of an event. Sometimes, I liked it better than the event itself.”
-“I doubted the reality of love could live up to my fantasies of it, so I didn’t even try.”
-“Everyone was starting new chapters of their lives while I was stuck in the prologue, waiting for my story to be told.”
-“The thought of interrupting someone midconversation gave me hives.”
-“You downplay your accomplishments as ordinary when you would hail them as extraordinary on anyone else.”

Aaaaand some examples of Christian being the love of my life:

-“I would never make it to heaven, but that didn’t matter as long as she ruled beside me in hell.”
-“Touch another man, he dies. Let another man touch you, he dies. Tell me I can’t touch you…” His grip tightened on the back of my neck as his voice dropped. “And I will fucking die.”
-“all the most beautiful days of my life have been with you”

The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera

3.0

Before I start, I want to preface this with the fact that this is actually a really good read, and 100% worth checking out, I'm just feeling rather pessimistic about it haha.

I think I let my expectations get too high for this one and therefore was slightly disappointed. It felt a bit like the Shein version of They Both Die at the End? Which is probably too harsh a sentence. Obviously the characters are different, as is the plot-line of one of the character's health issues, and the fact this is the first Death Cast calling, I just think the story could have played out differently (but I can't get into that while keeping this spoiler free).

This was still a really sweet and emotional read, just wasn't what I hyped it up to be in my head after adoring the first book.

However, I cannot express my excitement for book 3, the plot sounds like everything I need and more.