shaykay's reviews
523 reviews

adventurous emotional mysterious 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

5.0

I finally took the plunge and listened to the audiobook of Fourth Wing. On the one hand, I loved it. It was easy to follow, and I had much fun with this book. But I don't usually read fantasy books. I'm primarily a romantic girly. Also, this is book 1 of a series that I'm still determining how long it will be. So far, it keeps ending on cliffhangers and then having a long time between books, and honestly, that's something that pushes me away from reading it. So, even though I liked this book and read the second book right after this one, I would like to know if I will continue the series. I think it will be something I will either wait for the series to be done or not circle back to. I applaud people who can wait a long time between books, remember everything, and stay excited for the next book. Still, this girl has a concise attention span. But I really liked this book, and I get the hype for it.

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The Darkest of Light by Sandy Alvarez, Crystal Daniels

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I know surprise baby isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I love it, and this one wasn't terrible. I liked how it happened in this one, but I needed more from the book overall. It wasn't awful, and I don't think it will be the most memorable one in the long run.

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Eleanor by Calliope Stewart

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adventurous emotional mysterious 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

It's one of my 2024 releases that I couldn't wait to get my hands on, and although I did enjoy the book and had a lot of fun with it, I wish we had more time with everyone. I also wish we could see Eleanor and Juneau at least meet or talk on the phone. But I still had a lot of fun with this one and cannot wait for the next book. It will be the last one in the series, too, and we're going back in time.

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Keeping 13 by Chloe Walsh

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dark emotional hopeful slow-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

3.5

Gibsie remains one of my favorite characters in this world! There is so much more going on with him than what we see play out, and I need his book ASAP! Anyway, I liked the way this one picked up where the previous book left off and the focus on Shannon's life. I wish there was more Johnny in this one. I think we lost sight of his sports side of things. On the other hand, I like how he evolved from being only about sports and wanting more in his future than just sports. This is a series I really want to follow up on, but it is more on the young adult side and deals with a lot of heavy content. I'm really curious about what the next two will focus on since it's about Shannon's brother, and I hope we get to see Shannon more. I don't think this one had the best HEA. It was open-ended, and they are still in high school, so I'm curious about the longevity of Shannon, Johnny, and this family.

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Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh

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emotional sad tense slow-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've seen this one pop up a lot, but I have yet to look into what the book was about. But back during the holidays, I found a copy of it at Walmart, and the book is the best flop ever. The cover is so pretty that I ended up picking it up. It was an interesting read, and honestly, it kind of falls into a weird category because the story follows high schoolers dealing with things like bullying. But it gets even darker due to the things Shannon's dealing with. So, it's not really in the young adult category. Still, it deals with very heavy content that falls into older young adults or older young adults. It's interesting how the book plays all of that out because her story gets darker the more it unravels. Then Johnny! I love Johnny, but he is so career-focused in sports, and his story could be more light. It's just he's learning that there's more to life than just the dreams he has with his athletic pursuits. But my all-time favorite story in this book, and the world overall, is Gibsie! I need more of his story ASAP! I love him whenever he appears.

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Fighting Instincts by Lana Kole

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emotional hopeful tense slow-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

3.5

I hesitated to pick this one up because it always looked terrific whenever it was recommended or popped up in KU. I really wanted to read it! I mean, we have 2 omegas, underground fighting, even the criminal side of things, and an already established pack. But this series is really hit or miss for me. Especially the ones written by Lana Kole. They tend to be on the sweeter side of things, and I really want the nitty gritty side. So I thought this one was going to fill that void that I got from the previous book in the series, and on the one hand, it did hit those elements, but then, on the other hand, it didn't hit them hard enough. I enjoyed it more than Lyric, though. I really liked the ideas of this one and the whole 2 omega side of things. I just wanted more of them, especially of their POVs. I'm curious about Kole's other books outside of this series. They have exciting ideas and enjoyable elements, but I want more.

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Knot Wanted by Jillian West

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

I've been obsessed with omegaverses, where the pack forms around the omega or combines multiple packs to have the omega. In this one, we have that situation going on, and I loved that side. But I wish there was more tension because it felt like a lot of build-up to them having many issues. Still, honestly, they were just two strangers who were only going off the situations they'd read about versus actually meeting them. Plus, I really loved the bodyguard storyline, too! However, it was an excellent omegaverse. I just wanted more from it regarding the drama side of things. It just kept feeling like we were building up so much, but then it never went over the edge between the two packs and with other people trying to court Shanna. It was like she kept trying to go for people she thought she should be with instead of the ones to whom she was actually attracted/treated well.

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Pucking Wild by Emily Rath

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-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

4.5

I've had the physical copy of this one since LIT back in October, plus it's on Kindle Unlimited. I've wanted to read it since it came out because Pucking Around was one of those books I was lucky to read right before the hype went off for it. Seeing it blow up like it did was so fun, but I never got around to picking up Pucking Wild. I even reread Pucking Around back in October, planning to pick up Pucking Wild right afterward, and I still didn't do it. But I finally plunged back into this world and loved Tess, but flippin' Ryan was AMAZING! I couldn't get enough of this one from the second I picked it up, but I loved it so much. Plus, it was a reverse age gap, and I know these aren't a new thing or even that rare, but I've read 2-to 3 of them since really getting into KU and to see it play out. Anyway, you don't need to read Pucking Around first. Still, I recommend doing that because Rachel and the guys pop up so much in this book. I loved seeing them, but if you read this book first, you won't have that connection to them or really know how they ended up where they are. I cannot wait for the next book to come out now, and I really need to read Pucking Ever After Vol 2 now! But the only issue I ran into in this one was the ex. He should've been more villainous. Don't get me wrong, he was terrible whenever he appeared, but he was more annoying than anything and really played on the emotional side.

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Fated to the Alien Warrior by Erin Hale

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adventurous challenging hopeful medium-paced

3.0

It's been a hot minute since I read an alien book, and this one was giving me Ice Planet vibes, so I decided to try it. I liked many things in this one, but where it was shorter, we didn't get to dive that deep into everything happening. I wish we saw more of the battle between these two alien species and the humans trying to move in. Or even spend more time with the alien village the MMC oversees. I needed a little more of the story, especially at the end. They are all just starting to accept everything when the book ends.

Content Warnings

Inheritance by M. Sinclair, R.L. Caulder

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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

3.5

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shaykay's reviews 523 reviews

shaykay's reviews
523 reviews