talyasoytas's reviews
212 reviews

Love, in Theory: Ten Stories by E.J. Levy

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

2.5

There’s a reason this short story collection took me so long to get thru and that is because while some stories were interesting in set up and concept, most just fell flat for me and said nothing new.

Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire

funny mysterious sad 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

3.0

A perfectly good entry in this universe. As always McGuire masterfully weaves togather these magical children’s stories to built out the universe, their characters, and more of the rules on which these worlds work. It was nice to see where Sumi belonged in these nonsense worlds. Having enjoyed the story decently, I didn’t necessarily find this to be a very memorable story. An alrighty read!

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

2.0

so sad that I didn’t enjoy this one at all. stars for the potential thispremise and the character back-stories had. But how can a story feel so freaking drawn out and slow (no burn) and also too insta lovey? There were many long confessionals, telling and not showing and simply an undoing of all good tension.

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

I genuinely had a blast with this one. It has been a while since I read a romance where the heroine went through a big character development and found herself. I loved how she reconnected with her roots and found herself, developing confidence in her abilities. 
As for the romance, although their chemistry and interest sometimes felt too rushed, Piper and Brendan’s story was definitely super entertaining and heartwarming. Their banter was great, and you could really see how deeply they came to care for each other.
I am excited to read the other book in this world following her sister for sure.

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

emotional funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

3.0

I think this was a unique, funny and charming story, exploring the love between a prince charming of a reality tv show and his producer. I liked the representation of mental health issues and the cutthroat, manipulative nature of reality tv, but I did crave a more satisfying ending where maybe the show was completely scrapped… I feel like if this was an escapist romance that critiqued the reality tv sector this much, there could’ve been a bigger consequence than what transpired. I enjoyed the romance nonetheless, even with the third act conflict dragging a bit. It was a good time, but sadly not the best executed story I have read.

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

3.75

I found that this book built such a complicated political landscape with djinn tribes and humans that by the end I was still unsure if there was a side that was truly in the right. The magic, the setting and some characters were so compelling that it turned out to be a great ride. Sadly the main character fell a little flat for me. Even though we learned about Nahri’s past and her desires in life, I found myself not caring about them that much. Also the romantic element was so insta-lovey and was not built on page at all so that disappointed me. Overall I think I will pick up the second book as we left off on an uncertain path.

Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb

adventurous emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

4.25

I am furious, heartbroken, and enchanted at the same time. Good night.

Defend the Dawn by Brigid Kemmerer

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

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

2.75

How do you take a ship, mysterious sailor, promise of a sickness cure and make the book about it not fantastic? I think my main qualm was that the tension between lovers was too forced, second guessing each other’s moves so much that at the end I was like, get over it, do some trust building excersises or something. The trajectory of the story is intriguing, and I am sure we will discover the reasons behind the sickness that plagues Kandala and whatever, but this installment had big middle book syndrome while bridging the gap between the introduction to the world and resolution. 
One redeeming part was Harristan’s joırney, honestly I’d much rather have more of his POV in the book that’s coming out later this month so… I shall hope and wait.

Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer

adventurous 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? No

3.0

A fun little world, not much magic, but a mysterious fever causing deaths in the kingdom, and a bit of romance to add to the plot. Nothing we haven’t seen before, but I am curious to see where the world goes. My main issue was that the ending was too fast and everything happened in the last 15% of the book. I have a feeling that I also guessed most plot points correctly so far but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy them enfolding. Especially with the thirf book coming out this month, I think I’ll go onto the second one right away.

Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner

emotional 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? No

3.25

Alright, a sapphic office romance to wrap up the year… It is actually a 3.5 I believe, because I really did enjoy the characters and the plot points. However, the conflicts and what they went through together felt exceedingly repetitive. I like a slow burn as much as the next girl but I don’t think this book did a great job of holding our attention while also holding out on action. It was an alright read and took no time. If you are looking for a nice romance and have nothing else to read, this will do the trick, but there are better ones out there. I will be keeping an eye out for this author though, because more queer romance is what I want from this new year.  ♥️