taliyahslibrary's reviews
53 reviews

Anastasia by Sophie Lark

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious 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

5.0

“I asked myself, why are we so obsessed with Anastasia? It’s because of our dream of what we wish she could have been. What we wish Russia could have been. Ultimately this story became a fantasy of what our world could be like if we had leaders who loved the people more than themselves. That’s what Anastasia has come to symbolize to people all over the world—a people’s princess, someone who lived like everyone else and developed compassion. Someone on team human.” –Sophie


This excerpt from Sophie Lark‘s Forward perfectly encapsulates what this book is about. It is a long road and honestly you might be hesitant about it at first. You might contemplate DNFing but don’t, just trust me. It’s so worth it. And reading about what motivated Sophie to continue writing even when SHE wanted to give up, just further proves how important and impactful this book is.

I will say the audiobook was INCREDIBLE. Both male and female voice actors brought the story to life. I felt as though I knew each character inside out. Like I myself was in the story watching everything unfold. 

Silent Lies by Neva Altaj

dark funny 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

4.0

Drago and Sienna’s dynamic felt very similar to the dynamic in When Life Gives You Lemons by Noor Sasha but in mafia setting. I very much enjoyed it. It was funny and lighthearted for the most part. But what stood out to me was how head over heels Drago was for Sienna. He had me kicking my feet, almost annoyed at how prefect he is. I loved how down Sienna was. She was always up to step up for her family and do what was needed to be done. Her esentric personality had me laughing. I found myself constantly saying, “You know what? Hell yeah” 😂 Overall, I had a fun time reading this book. 

Burned Dreams by Neva Altaj

dark emotional funny hopeful sad 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? No

4.0

Oh how I love this book
Before I get into specifics, I just want to acknowledge how thrilling it is to binge a book in one sitting. Or to stay up late into the morning hours just because you cannot put the book down and then waking up early the next day and immediately grabbing your Kindle to finish it.

Ravenna and Alessandro had me hooked. I’m normally not a slow burn girly I get so bored so fast but the tension between these two had me locked in. I loved how broody and reserved Alessandro was. And even tho Ravenna didn’t give herself credit for it, she was so strong and feisty. I loved their little banter.

I will always be in awe of how much
 intensity and feeling can be captured in such few pages. Because I truly felt Alessandro and Ravenna connection. I rooted  for them every step of the way. At one point I was desperately hoping things wouldn’t tie up at the end, so that we can get a second book of them. And although that didn’t happen, I absolutely adored the surprise we got in the epilogue. Can’t wait to start the next book tonight! 

Fractured Souls by Neva Altaj

dark emotional 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

3.25

I just love how fast paced yet thrilling these books are. You still get plot and character development and a beautiful love story but in such quick pages, it’s hard to put the book down.

I jumped back into the series after a year or a little over a year, so it was just hard to identify each character and adjust to the writing style. But once I did that I enjoyed myself very thoroughly.

The Oath We Give by Monty Jay

dark emotional 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

5.0

GOSH I LIOVE THIS BOOK
THIS SERIES- 
SILAS AND CORALINE
THE HOLLOW BOYS & THE LONER SOCIETY 

This book not only gave Silas the happy ending I’ve been anticipating but it perfectly wrapped up the series. I was worried this was gonna be one of those cases where everyone goes their separate ways that the end but just knowing the love those boys have for each other to ever left each go 

As much as I wanted Silas to find love after Rosie, I was scared that a new love would overpower the love he had for her. She is such a core part of the series that I didn’t want all that to go down the drain at the introduction of a new character. But Monty brought so much honor to her, while also us to fall in love with CORALINE. 

Ugh that girl. 
My girl. 
I love her more than I thought I could. Her strength. Her ability prioritize the people she loves. Her ability to fight even when she feels small. I admire her so much. And I’m so happy that she found Silas. Bc she deserves a love like his. 

Bound by Temptation by Cora Reilly

1.0

One and Only by Karla Sorensen

emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced

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

4.5

I throughly enjoyed this book. it had me crying, giggling, kicking feet, all the things. i love how well developed the characters were early on. the tension between greer & beckett  was PALPABLE. i’m not normally a slow burn girlie but they had me hooked. their chemistry was INCREDIBLE. they complimented each other so well. definitely recommend for when you want a heartwarming & wholesome read! 

The Canary Cowards by Jescie Hall
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.

I really think this book has a lot of potential. I am someone who LOVES the athlete x physical therapist trope, so I was really hoping to fall in love with this book. Unfortunately, I just cannot connect with the characters 😩 The mmc is kinda insufferable 😅 Which normally wouldn’t bug me because I’m all for a redemption arc, but I just cannot get on board with his thoughts and behavior. It seems like the author was trying to go for a charming but he’s just annoying. I actually really the fmc but there certain scenes where I feel like she’s acting out of character (if that makes sense). Like she’s established as a go-getter, as someone that is headstrong, and takes no BS, but then all of a sudden she’s doing stupid things because of her “attraction” to the MMC...I don’t know it just feels off.  I also feel like the beginning of the book was rushed.  They went from being standoffish, to hating each other, to all of a sudden being so attracted to each other they keep doing and saying stupid things. It’s confusing. Maybe I’ll come back to it and give it a second chance, idk. I just don’t have the patience or desire to continue reading rn. 

Sinners Anonymous by Somme Sketcher

dark slow-paced

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

4.5

The Bombshell Effect by Karla Sorensen

3.75