readbyjaimes's reviews
216 reviews

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

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adventurous dark mysterious 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

4.5

I absolutely loved this. I'm so glad that this was my intro to T. Kingfisher and I can't wait to continue reading from her. The writing was so good and felt very whimsical. Dare I say a more adult Stephanie Garber, maybe a mix of Holly Black in there too. I really enjoyed the story book style of writing and her characters are just so interesting. Toadling was PRECIOUS and all I wanted to do was giver her a hug. Halim was also such an interesting character and a fresh take on the traditional princely character. 
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Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto

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4.0

Interesting and really enjoyable the characters. Wished that they would have discussed more things about their relationship and lives together. I feel like we knew him better than we knew her. And I hated the third-act breakup that took up most of the ending. Always throws off the vibe for me. 
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A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

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adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.75

V. E. Schwab is shaping up to be one of my favorite authors... ever. 


I loved this book so much. It was page-turning and so intriguing at every corner. The characters she created for this book were so complex and interesting to learn about, even though I'm sure we've only scratched the surface of who they are. So excited to get to the next one and continue with this series. 
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Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent

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adventurous dark emotional fast-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? Yes

4.5

Another banger from Carissa, are we surprised at this point? LOVED this. Read this after Ashes, but I was very intrigued about Lilith and was so excited to see that she was the FMC. Loved watching her and Vale's relationship grow. I also really enjoyed the plague aspect and the science of it all. This world is so so cool and I'll most definitely read anything she writes in it, 
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Sinners Anonymous by Somme Sketcher

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dark 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? Yes

3.75

This book was a good time! Read it across plane rides and visiting for the holidays. It was a nice little distraction novel and it was really entertaining and fun. The only things bringing it down were my frustrations with Angelo and Rory not communicating, and Angleo always assuming the worst of Rory when she didn't deserve that at all. 
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The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen

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adventurous 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? Yes

3.0

This book was fairly disappointing for me. I had high expectations and I'm just not sure if this author's writing style is for me. It always felt like a trudge to read and I would take frequent breaks because it just didn't flow well in my brain. I also don't like the third-act conflict. It felt really cheap and honestly just really stupid. Made me so annoyed that I just skimmed the last 50 pages. 

I will say that I did like some parts and it wasn't bad all the time. I just think this author is not for me and that's okay. 
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The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent

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adventurous dark emotional 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

4.75

A brilliant finish to the nightborn duet! 


A seemingly unpopular opinion, I loved this book more than the first! I ate up all the relationship angst in this one and loved the working out of daddy issues. And the politics in this actually became one of my favorite parts to learn about and read. 

And of course, I adored Oraya and Raihn in this one, I mean come on, they were amazing. So loveable, but also deeply emotional. Their relationship was handled perfectly and I think it was given the space it needed to come together. 
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The Serpent & the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

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adventurous dark 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

4.5

Lovedddd this book! So glad I went back to read it after DNF-ing last year. I related a lot to Oraya in a lot of different ways and thought that she was so strong. And I loved Raihn
he’s gonna have to work hardddd to get back in my good graces though.
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Daddy's Wild Girl by Laylah Roberts

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3.0

The Beetle by Richard Marsh

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3.75

Really interesting look at the oriental gothic