steca2's reviews
140 reviews

Shadow Princess by Susanne Valenti, Caroline Peckham

emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

This could have been my favorite of the series but there were WAY too much going on and too many overlapping plot points. It really should have been two books.

Like this book could have focused on the phoenix and discovering the darkness stuff and then the next could have been more focused on Clara and the Seth’s blackmail + twins’ estrangement.

The other books took me 2-3 days but this one took me a full week and I even considered reading something else at the 85% mark because I was just sick of what I thought was the conflict.

And Darius and Tory’s Devine Moment happening in this book was WAY too rushed. It should have been in later books.

The Reckoning by Susanne Valenti, Caroline Peckham

funny tense fast-paced

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

4.0

The entire book takes place over the course of a week… and wow, was that one hell of a week! 

Ruthless Fae by Susanne Valenti, Caroline Peckham

funny tense 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? No

4.0

Significantly better than the first book! I appreciated having Darius POV. Very confused by Pittball but I understand the magic system now for sure. 

The Awakening by Susanne Valenti, Caroline Peckham

funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

I really enjoyed the plot and the characters but the editing errors were BEYOND frustrating. Grammar was all over the place (if I have to read one more “Darcy and I” when it should be “Darcy and me” I may scream) and it’s so clear that the authors are British and have never been to Chicago. 

Grimoire Girl: Creating an Inheritance of Magic and Mischief by Hilarie Burton Morgan

emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.75

The audiobook is like listening to a friend. The primary theme centers around love and death, the true human experience. Beautifully read and she made me cry many times. 

Penalty Box by Kris Butler

funny fast-paced

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

3.5

This book would have been rated higher if the ending didn’t feel so unrealistic and out of left field. Also the timeline was really insta-love so I’m telling myself that this took place over two months and not 2 weeks.

What is this secret society bullshit? It makes no sense as there was no build up to it. And did she pass out at the end? Or knocked out? 

Maybe if I had read the other series I would have understood the world building more? That being said I did appreciate the NB rep and that the poly world was so normalized. It didn’t feel fetishized or taboo. While I won’t buy the books, I’ll read the rest of the series if I find them on Libby or when I eventually get KU. 

Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey

funny 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? No

4.5

Flipping adorable! A (very spicy) Hallmark Christmas movie in book form! Aiden is Ted Lasso through and through. While a little insta-lovey, it was easily overlooked by how cute the story was — definitely recommend! 

You, Again by Kate Goldbeck

emotional funny medium-paced

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

4.25

Ari frustrated the hell out of me but wow, was she real. Her flaws made the conflict feel so real that I had to remind myself that this was a HEA romance… I felt tense and frustrated and all the emotions you feel when you’re watching a clearly emotionally scarred person run away. My only complaint is I wish we saw her growth more and more of her healing journey.
Josh was great — loved him from the first page, even with his plethora of issues.
Also the book was more oh that’s funny and less laugh out loud funny. I probably would call this a rom-drama/comedy rather than a straight out rom-com. I would not call this a gender bent “When Harry Met Sally” either. Major false marketing. It’s an enemies to friends to lovers, opposites attract romance. Only similarity is NYC.  Also didn’t love the pacing — having so much time between time jumps in the beginning where they’d interact for a few minutes  and then years went by and they’d remember everything about the conversation didn’t feel realistic to me.

And the time jumps at the end also felt rushed and unrealistic. Like Ari physically bailed for almost a year (after mentally bailing for almost a year before that) and her friends didn’t cut her off and move on? That feels not right to me…

Wildfire by Hannah Grace

emotional 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

4.75

The perfect fluffy romance! I liked this significantly more than the first book. The plot was well executed with very few plot holes, writing was cute and quippy (only complaint is that the author and editors are clearly British as there were many Uk-isms throughout the book), and it was just an all around lovely read! Loved Russ and Aurora but Xander and JJ really stole the show! I hope we see more of Xander in future books. 

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous funny tense fast-paced

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

4.25

My biggest complaint is the pacing. There were a lot of plot points and I feel like the author relied heavily on telling the reader what was going on rather than showing. Honestly I wish this book was split - it already has a part 1 and part 2! She should have made part 1 the second book and focused  more on character development, fleshing out the side characters and the

basgiath and samara plots

and then made part 2 the third book and focused more on the history/lore and fleshing out the new characters and locations.