readwithev's reviews
189 reviews

Psyche: The Laugh of Aphrodite by Penelope Lys

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.0

Overall I think this is a great start for Lys as a debut author. I’m excited to see what they releases next. This story felt 75% finished, 15% rushed 10% characters not fully fleshed out. Lys could have taken 1-2 more chapters to wrap it up. Psyche had moments where I thought she was getting stronger and more independent but then would revert back to her old mindset a few paragraphs later. It never stuck. Also Eros felt very one-dimensional with very little backstory.

Pros:

• Love the descriptiveness and lyrical writing style. Its rich in the 5 senses. Especially good at evoking fear, loneliness, and wonder. The settings feel so alive.
• The way Eros hides his true identity and appearance from Psyche
• Scene where Eros is teaching Psyche to shoot arrows
• The scene where Psyche is about to betray Eros and she becomes transfixed by his true form. She finally realizes who he is. The description of his wings was also beautiful.
• The scene after where Eros abandons her. He’s hurt by her, she did not heed his warnings, and she was blinded by false claims about him.
• Hermes’ playfulness
• How Psyche has childish ignorance and blind trust in her family; their secrets and betrayals made her question her worthiness, their love, and she grieved the loss of those relationships.
• Psyche’s trial through the Underworld

Cons:

• Psyche’s self-pitying and childishly ignorant attitude that doesn’t change much as the book progresses
  she attempts to kill herself twice (trying to drown in the river after betraying Eros then again jumping off the cliff of snakes when Aphrodite sends her to the Underworld).
  she survives a lot of difficult trials, but still thinks she isn’t strong and doesn’t deserve happiness. Some of the other Gods try to tell her she’s being spoiled or giving up too quickly but it doesn’t seem like she changes/grows from these experiences.
• Eros’ childlike behavior and tantrums.
• eros never explains how he fell in love with psyche or what he loves about her, only that he’s watched her and loved her since she was young
• The ending felt rushed and we don’t see Eros forgive Psyche or when Psyche become immortal. Its very anticlimactic; they’ve been apart 50% of the book and Psyche wonders how he’ll feel when she seems him, she’s ashamed of hurting him, and goes through the trials to earn his trust back. Yet, when they reunite they do not mention anything from their time apart. Their reunion is only 2 short paragraphs
• We don’t get the sisters’ perspective on why they wanted her to kill Eros. The story is told by Psyche as a flashback so it’s more of a frame. Example, “At the time I enjoyed…” so its odd there’s not a mention of “I realize now my sisters were jealous and wanted to take my husband for themselves …” something like that. Also, we don’t know the final fate of the sisters

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood

Minor: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol

Gravity by Melissa West
Did not finish book. Stopped at 51%.

Straight up not worth reading. The concept sounded interesting, but it was a half-baked idea with one-dimensional characters and lazy editing. (detailed explanation below with spoilers)

- The author tells instead of shows emotion, for example page 39 "...the mixture of emotions moving through me. Doubt. Confusion. Excitement." page 42. "In my head I'm having a mini panic attack." "Fear clutches me..." Doesn't use the 5 senses to describe emotion instead.
- The plot also feels chaotic and not in a good "keep you guessing" way. The characters forget what happened a few pages earlier, details of the alien world and the human's world war history don't line up, and personal issues between the characters are resolved too easily that everything feels low stakes. I lose interest in them immediately. Ex: Law and Ari are engaged since childhood, but the author breezes past that after a few pages after Ari falls for Jackson.
- The characters all lack flaws that would make them interested. Ari is a good fighter and top of her class, Jackson's alien abilities make him a good fighter, and Law is the president's son without any financial hardships. None of them have any internal or external motivations to change themselves.
- Also, Ari immediately forgives Jackson for keeping it a secret that Law is his half-brother. She doesn't even get mad. Suddenly, as a reader, I don't care about Law or Jackson's complicated family history. It was just brought up for no reason.
- Moreover, Ari completely trusts Jackson and willingly sneaks into Parliament's lab building to steal a video file for him. She also steals the key from her dad. At this point, it's only chapter 6!! Jackson hasn't given her any reason to betray her family's trust, risk the human race's survival, or proven that he's not a danger to her or anyone else. Trust is built on mutually sacrificing or sharing something that's risky. However, at this point in the story, Ari is the only one in their relationship taking risks (i.e. helping the aliens and not humans, sharing gov't secrets). Jackson is already a spy, so his risks are inherent, and I don't count them.
- In addition, Jackon's mission as a spy is unclear. He keeps saying their leader Zeus is unreliable yet still follows commands and still wants to deliver the human's war strategies to Zeus. He seems like a very one-dimensional character. Why doesn't he question his leader? Why doesn't he try to build his own rebellion?
- the fight scene with Ari in the maze in chapter 12 felt rushed and lacked suspense. She didn't even get hurt. Jackson helped her escape the alien attack too so that lowered the stakes again.
- The dream Ari has in Chap 11 where Zeus calls her queen and bows felt cliche. If the aliens have so many cool mysterious abilities (regrowing Earth after nuclear war, synthesizing antibodies, sharing memories via telepathy) why choose a dream? Dream sequences are overdone. It would have been more interesting if Zeus communicated to Ari through voices, hallucinations, or premonitions. This would have been a great opportunity to expand Ari's character. Perhaps the dream is a telepathic ability Zeus is using on Ari, but it's still a dream and still lacks originality.

 

A Love Letter to Whiskey by Kandi Steiner
Did not finish book. Stopped at 63%.

I think the book would have been better if it did NOT include Jamie’s POV at the end. I liked the semi-mystery and the frustration B felt when time was not on their side. It made everything feel more needy and urgent. They end up married at the end so i don’t feel like Jamie needs to defend himself. At that point the story felt dragged out.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault

Seeds of Betrayal by Lola Lockhart

lighthearted medium-paced

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

1.5

Overall, this book was ok. The book is primarily slow burn brother’s best friend which is a romance trope I love. However, the quality of writing, plot points, and character development (or lack thereof) really bring the story down down. There are too many cons to give this book more than 1.5⭐️ I know my criticism may seem harsh but I feel like writers/editors can do better.
Pros:

• The banter - the dialogue between Alfie (MMC) and Tara (MFC) was funny and cute. I actually caught myself smiling. Even the jokes between their friends felt natural.
• The spicy scenes 🌶️ were pretty tame but still romantic and not cringy 
• The stargazing scene outside the geology lab where Tara and Alfie discuss rocks and fossils
• Alfie’s artistic skills & drawing Tara
• Alfie and Tara flirting by talking nerdy science to each other
• Drake’s confiding in Alfie at the end of the book
• Alfie getting protective of Tara.

Cons:

• The title makes no sense. Neither of the characters betray each other.
• chapter 20 the author refers to Tara, Alfie, Ethan and Paiges’s double date as the night before. But then in the same chapter, the author says “the date is tonight.” Makes the timeline feel inaccurate
• “You think you know what you want but you have no idea what you’re asking for.” Alfie says this line 3 times in the whole book. Feels contrite and lacks creativity
• Author repeatedly used the adjectives “wrecked” and “chaos”
• Tara constantly describes her childhood and parents as controlling and managing her life. Again, would have liked if the author used more descriptive words like “suffocating” “restricting” “condescending” “hovering.”
• Tara being 21 yrs old and constantly walking around with a chip on her shoulder felt relatable. However, the author repeats it so many times when anyone even remotely questions Tara’s decisions. it starts to lose its effectiveness. Example: chapter 20
• Chapter 30 the club scene after Tara’s 22nd birthday party makes no sense. It doesn’t add any info or create tension for the story. Plus Tara and Alfie just fought in chap 29 but now they’re flirting and touching? Its giving whiplash.
• Chapter 31 Alfie’s grandma offers him relationship advice. It seems redundant since he already got advice from Ethan and Freddie. I think it would have been more pivotal for his development if she’d advised him on how to rebel against his mom and their Spencer family legacy, especially since Gran is viewed as the rebel. She could have reassured him that his path as a research scientist was right and he was doing what was best for himself.
• Troy accepts Alfie and Tara’s relationship with very little convincing, even he was described as super protective.
• Chapter 32 when Tara goes to Alfie’s house after seeing the flip book video on social media. I think the chapter would have been better from Alfie’s perspective instead. We would see his doubt, fear, shock etc. here it seems unnecessarily confrontational. Also, tara doesn’t really confess anything. Moreover, I would hsve preferred if Alfie mentioned how his family paid off Drake’s ex girlfriend when she got pregnant. That would have communicated to Tara why he was afraid she could get hurt or manipulated.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Minor: Sexual harassment

Nimona by ND Stevenson

adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

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

5.0

I loved the cute slice of life moments between Ballister and Nimona. Their budding friendship was wholesome and sweet. I also liked the "rivalry" between Goldenloin and Ballister. Their history training together and their love/hate relationship was an interesting B-side story.
I enjoyed learning more about Nimona's mysterious shapeshifting powers and her trust issues. I empathized with her pain and her fear. I also liked the mix of technology with medieval knights and kingdoms. The color pallets too were cool browns & warm tones for the village, greens and grays for the Institution, reds and grays for Ballister and Nimona.
I also liked the hints of romance without any kissing or explicitly stated love affairs.

Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency by Chen Chen

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

Some of my favorite poems from the collection:

1. Summer after Sarah Gambito
2. Doctor's Note
3. Higher Education
4. Summer
5. The School of Austrialia
6. The School of Red
7. A Small Book of Questions: chapter i
8. Winter (you become increasingly...)
9. A Small Book of Questions: chapter iv
10. A Small Book of Questions: chapter v
11. One Year Later: A Letter
12. Chen No Middle Name Chen
13. The School of Song, Uno, & Dinnertime
14. The School fo keyboards & Our Whole Entire History Up to the Present
15. Zombie Kindness

I've highlighted way too many lines to include here in this review. I loved this collection. Its funny, emotional, vulnerable, and introspective. I also enjoyed the line spacing variations. It has structure, without feeling too strict, but also not too loose that it feels like a tumble blog. The collection is a great look at our parents, learning to see them with empathy, kindness, and grace. That they're people who make mistakes like us and say the wrong things. It's also about forgiving people who hurt you, even when they don't feel bad about doing the hurting. Chen struggles to reconcile his Chinese American identity during the Covid-19 pandemic, and fielding the micro-aggressions against himself and other Chinese Americans. It doesn't feel too politically heavy though and I appreciated that.
Highly recommend this collection and look forward to Chen's next.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I can't sing enough praise for this book. I loved watching each sister make mistakes, eventually learn from them, and also choose paths different than their "grand castles in the sky" kids' dreams. I also liked Laurie's brief crush but eventually turned to new love.

Beth's death was head for me and Chapter 36 Beth's Secret and Chapter 40 The Valley of the Shadow made me cry. Although I understand Beth's death helped all the girls especially Jo become more selfless, more caring, more generous, and more grateful it was still difficult to read

This book is a classic for a reason. It's all character driven so don't expect wild plot twists. Be prepared for some tears, but it'll make you smile. The sisterly relationships are relatable and sweet.

Dirty Sexy Inked by Carly Phillips, Erika Wilde
Did not finish book. Stopped at 70%.

The steamy scenes are only a 3.5 stars out of 5. I usually like friends to lovers, however this story fell flat. They slept together, then started dating about 1 week later with barely any issues. Very boring! There was no tension and the reader never questions when or whether Katrina and Mason will get together.

Katrina went on one date with Blake after returning from Vegas, but chooses Mason the next day! Moreover, she was set on leaving Inked but decides to stay. Personally, I think both Mason and Katrina could have grown as characters if Katrina had stopped working at Inked. She would have become a more confident independent artist. Mason would learn to support her as well. Also, the scene where Levi is lecturing/psychoanalyzing Mason at the bar, explaining why Mason has never trusted women, is afraid of relationships, and convinces him to pursue Katrina all felt like lazy writing on the authors' part. Instead of providing opportunities and roadblocks for Mason to learn this about himself and overcome his doubts, the authors use Levi to explain everything.

In my opinion, it would have been more interesting if (after coming back from Vegas) Katrina and Blake had started dating, she'd quit working at Inked, and Mason realized how much he loves Katrina. He could then confess his feelings and fight for her.
There were a lot of missed chances for Katrina and Mason to encounter minor conflicts which could have developed their characters and relationship more. Ultimately decided to DNF.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Minor: Child abuse, Rape, Self harm

Dirty Sexy Saint by Carly Phillips, Erika Wilde

lighthearted fast-paced

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

2.75

The typical steamy romance. Picked this up as part of a genre challenge to read something I don't usually. Some of the dialogue was cringy. In addition, the authors explain the characters motivations, thoughts, or emotions more often than showing (aka using the 5 senses). As a result, the writing feels immature and I found myself skipping ahead.
Samantha felt a bit flat for me. I think it would have been more interesting if she'd struggled more at the beginning to adjust to her independent life. That would have provided character growth opportunities for her and even moments for her and Katrina to bond.

The conflict (Wyatt's appearance and arrest) is solved quickly and without issue. I found that anti-climactic. Also, Samantha's dad pretty much accepts Clay after he confesses his love and returned the $50K. I thought that resolution was too fast as well. I expected more fighting between them. Moreover, the fact Samantha's dad knew where she was the whole time felt like a cop-out. It would have been more interesting if he had a private investigator looking for her over the course of the story. Or, she suspected someone was following her and she'd left Chicago for the suburbs or rural area of Illinois to be more "undercover." Overall I thought the conflicts in the story were too easily solved, even for a fluffy romance. The characters resolved their issues too fast to make me believe their love was really worth fighting for.

The steamy scenes were indeed steamy but the plot and conflicts were lacking. This series seems like a good brain candy romance but not full of any serious consequences or depth.

Unfamiliar, Vol. 2 by Haley Newsome, Haley Newsome

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Again the art style and colors are adorable. Winston the rabbit has the most dialogue out of all the familiars. I wish Ari the pigon and Edgar the taxidermy allegator had a few more appearances and lines.

I liked the faery king as the red haring and Sun's decision to protect Babs instead of having her curse lifted. Moreover, I liked that she decided to keep it at the end instead of asking the doctor to take it away. Unfortunately, I think Planchette banished the Faery king from the wedding too quickly. Like it didn't seem hard, but I guess with a magic mushroom circle, anything is possible.

Overall, I appreciated the love and friendship that the witches develop along with their companionship with the house ghosts.