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the_cover_contessa's reviews
1714 reviews
Stranger Skies by Pascale Lacelle
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Margaret K. McElderry Books, Edelweiss, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
If you have not read the first book in this series, Curious Tides, stop here. There will more than likely be spoilers for that book below. And you'll need to read that first book to understand what happens in this one.
Curious Tides was my favorite book of 2023. I will admit, when it was sent to me I was unsure I'd really want to read it. The length was intimidating but I also judged the book by its cover and it just didn't look inviting to me. Boy was I WRONG! Not only do I now love that cover, but I am in love with all the characters and the world Lacelle has built. It's a very unique magical system and the world building was amazing.
I was super excited to jump into this one seeing as the first one pretty much ended on a cliff hanger. I needed to know what happened to all the characters! This installment of The Drowned Gods series is full of action and adventure. It delves deeper into the magical system and gives a ton of history and background world.
This book is told from four points of view. Yep, two new POVs are added and I'm sure you can imagine that changed the story up quite a bit. Having Romie's POV really expanded how the story progressed. And we got a dip into Kai's POV at the end of the first book so I knew he was going to be included! Plus we still hear from Baz and Emory. It's great to watch the story unfold from all these characters who are complex, real, and very reliable. Do their emotions get involved? They sure do. But it brings just the right amount of drama and intrigue to pull the reader along. I loved seeing the two characters we got to know so well in book one through the eyes of their best friends. We're also introduced to a slew of new characters. One of which is the author of the story which started all the characters down the road of this story.
The romance takes a bit of a turn in this book. We did see it somewhat towards the end of book 1 but it ramps up much more in this book. And those you thought were pining for each other turns out to be a bit different than what we first thought. It's a very slow burn so if you're expecting it to pop out and be real early on, you're in for a surprise. Expect a build until things combust.
This book introduces time travel. Lacelle does a good job with is, as well. I'm always worried that time travel books will have too many complicated things happening and make it hard to understand but that is not the case here. I will say I was surprised at what was reveled by the characters who did travel. I was worried how it would alter the other timeline. The alternating time lines were easy to understand and keep up with. We don't really see the intersection of the timelines until the end, so I'll be interested to see how it plays out in the third book of the series.
Often times the second book of a trilogy suffers from middle books syndrome where the book becomes just filler to get you to the third book that wraps the story up. This is not that book. This book absolutely lends so much to the story. Especially because it explores more worlds than what we saw in the first book. It expands the universe so well. It gives more depth to the characters, plot, and world.
I loved the mystery and intrigue in this book. I will admit it was a long one. I am very intimidated by long books. I did have to take a few breaks. And I did find myself jumping back at times to make sure I understood what was happening as it did get complicated at times. And I love that Lacelle continued using the dark academia introduced int book one in this book. She doesn't take you away from that part of the book which really is so important to the overall story.
While I wanted to love this book as much as the first, I did feel the pacing was not quite as on point with this installment as the first. I struggled at times to understand some of what was happening. There was so much new stuff introduced, such a large expansion of the universe, I sometimes had a hard time keeping it all straight. This brought my rating down. But overall, this is a great continuation of interesting and unique lore with complex characters and time lines that keep you turning the page. Once again we're left with a cliff hanger which leave me wondering just how the author is going to solve the pickle these characters have gotten themselves into! Excited for the next book already!
If you have not read the first book in this series, Curious Tides, stop here. There will more than likely be spoilers for that book below. And you'll need to read that first book to understand what happens in this one.
Curious Tides was my favorite book of 2023. I will admit, when it was sent to me I was unsure I'd really want to read it. The length was intimidating but I also judged the book by its cover and it just didn't look inviting to me. Boy was I WRONG! Not only do I now love that cover, but I am in love with all the characters and the world Lacelle has built. It's a very unique magical system and the world building was amazing.
I was super excited to jump into this one seeing as the first one pretty much ended on a cliff hanger. I needed to know what happened to all the characters! This installment of The Drowned Gods series is full of action and adventure. It delves deeper into the magical system and gives a ton of history and background world.
This book is told from four points of view. Yep, two new POVs are added and I'm sure you can imagine that changed the story up quite a bit. Having Romie's POV really expanded how the story progressed. And we got a dip into Kai's POV at the end of the first book so I knew he was going to be included! Plus we still hear from Baz and Emory. It's great to watch the story unfold from all these characters who are complex, real, and very reliable. Do their emotions get involved? They sure do. But it brings just the right amount of drama and intrigue to pull the reader along. I loved seeing the two characters we got to know so well in book one through the eyes of their best friends. We're also introduced to a slew of new characters. One of which is the author of the story which started all the characters down the road of this story.
The romance takes a bit of a turn in this book. We did see it somewhat towards the end of book 1 but it ramps up much more in this book. And those you thought were pining for each other turns out to be a bit different than what we first thought. It's a very slow burn so if you're expecting it to pop out and be real early on, you're in for a surprise. Expect a build until things combust.
This book introduces time travel. Lacelle does a good job with is, as well. I'm always worried that time travel books will have too many complicated things happening and make it hard to understand but that is not the case here. I will say I was surprised at what was reveled by the characters who did travel. I was worried how it would alter the other timeline. The alternating time lines were easy to understand and keep up with. We don't really see the intersection of the timelines until the end, so I'll be interested to see how it plays out in the third book of the series.
Often times the second book of a trilogy suffers from middle books syndrome where the book becomes just filler to get you to the third book that wraps the story up. This is not that book. This book absolutely lends so much to the story. Especially because it explores more worlds than what we saw in the first book. It expands the universe so well. It gives more depth to the characters, plot, and world.
I loved the mystery and intrigue in this book. I will admit it was a long one. I am very intimidated by long books. I did have to take a few breaks. And I did find myself jumping back at times to make sure I understood what was happening as it did get complicated at times. And I love that Lacelle continued using the dark academia introduced int book one in this book. She doesn't take you away from that part of the book which really is so important to the overall story.
While I wanted to love this book as much as the first, I did feel the pacing was not quite as on point with this installment as the first. I struggled at times to understand some of what was happening. There was so much new stuff introduced, such a large expansion of the universe, I sometimes had a hard time keeping it all straight. This brought my rating down. But overall, this is a great continuation of interesting and unique lore with complex characters and time lines that keep you turning the page. Once again we're left with a cliff hanger which leave me wondering just how the author is going to solve the pickle these characters have gotten themselves into! Excited for the next book already!
Monstrous Nights by Genoveva Dimova
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Tor Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an audio galley of this title to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I was sent a copy of the first book in this series through the mail. I was very unsure wether I would enjoy it. Then the audio popped up for review so I decided to do a read along with the ARC I was sent and I'm so glad I did. I wasn't sure what to expect but I didn't expect to fall in love with the world Dimova built; a world full of monsters, witches, and things that go bump in the night. When I saw the second book was coming to print, I jumped at the chance to grab the audio to listen to for review and I'm glad I did.
If you didn't read the first book in this duet, I highly recommend you do. You will not understand the relationships in this book, or the world, since the book picks up about 6 months after the ending of the previous book. And, while the previous book did not truly end on a cliffhanger, all that happened in that book is very important to the folklore in this one.
I'll start with the narrators of this story. The female main character is narrated by Zura Johnson. I did enjoy her voice for the previous book, so it was nice to have that consistency with narrators. But unlike the first book, this book also had a male narrator for the male main character: Tim Campbell. I was so happy to see Asen get his own POV. While I really liked him in the first book, this book elevated him to another level because he had his own voice. I have not listened to anything narrated by Campbell before and I found that I really did love his voice for this book. They were able to do the Slavic accents well and each character was distinct and easy to pick out.
Dimova took this book to the next level of monsters and watching the main character, Kosara, fight against the evil that threatens her home. Kosara is a strong character who has built walls around herself, too afraid to truly let anyone in or let anyone help her for fear of becoming attached and losing them. In this book, we see those walls crumble a bit and watch her begin to understand her found family truly wants to help her and be there for her.
I will say you really saw Dimova come in to her story with this book. It's much smoother than the first book; much more put together. And she continues with the Slavic folklore and introduces more monsters than in the first book. One of my favorite parts of this book was the very end when you can truly learn about all the monsters in the compendium the witches have compiled. And this book read faster than the first for me. The action was ramped up, the conflicts were more dire, and the outcome of beating the real monster was huge.
Dark and gritty, this book is also just fun and even includes a bit of romance, which I was happy to see (though I think it could have been infused with even more to really bring the characters into the light as they fought side by side to ensure the safety of those around them).
I will admit, this book reads very much like YA but the characters are definitely not of YA age. I'm actually not quite sure how old they are but seems like they would be close to 30. For that reason there were some melodramatic areas I really thought would be more suited for a younger audience. I do wish there was a bit more adult infused into the book as it really seems like that's the audience it's meant for.
Dimova is a truly creative author who has a great talent for pulling you into a story, making you care about the characters, and pulling you through to the other side while cheering for everything to turn out ok. I'm impressed this is only her second book and I am looking forward to seeing what else she comes up with in the future!
I was sent a copy of the first book in this series through the mail. I was very unsure wether I would enjoy it. Then the audio popped up for review so I decided to do a read along with the ARC I was sent and I'm so glad I did. I wasn't sure what to expect but I didn't expect to fall in love with the world Dimova built; a world full of monsters, witches, and things that go bump in the night. When I saw the second book was coming to print, I jumped at the chance to grab the audio to listen to for review and I'm glad I did.
If you didn't read the first book in this duet, I highly recommend you do. You will not understand the relationships in this book, or the world, since the book picks up about 6 months after the ending of the previous book. And, while the previous book did not truly end on a cliffhanger, all that happened in that book is very important to the folklore in this one.
I'll start with the narrators of this story. The female main character is narrated by Zura Johnson. I did enjoy her voice for the previous book, so it was nice to have that consistency with narrators. But unlike the first book, this book also had a male narrator for the male main character: Tim Campbell. I was so happy to see Asen get his own POV. While I really liked him in the first book, this book elevated him to another level because he had his own voice. I have not listened to anything narrated by Campbell before and I found that I really did love his voice for this book. They were able to do the Slavic accents well and each character was distinct and easy to pick out.
Dimova took this book to the next level of monsters and watching the main character, Kosara, fight against the evil that threatens her home. Kosara is a strong character who has built walls around herself, too afraid to truly let anyone in or let anyone help her for fear of becoming attached and losing them. In this book, we see those walls crumble a bit and watch her begin to understand her found family truly wants to help her and be there for her.
I will say you really saw Dimova come in to her story with this book. It's much smoother than the first book; much more put together. And she continues with the Slavic folklore and introduces more monsters than in the first book. One of my favorite parts of this book was the very end when you can truly learn about all the monsters in the compendium the witches have compiled. And this book read faster than the first for me. The action was ramped up, the conflicts were more dire, and the outcome of beating the real monster was huge.
Dark and gritty, this book is also just fun and even includes a bit of romance, which I was happy to see (though I think it could have been infused with even more to really bring the characters into the light as they fought side by side to ensure the safety of those around them).
I will admit, this book reads very much like YA but the characters are definitely not of YA age. I'm actually not quite sure how old they are but seems like they would be close to 30. For that reason there were some melodramatic areas I really thought would be more suited for a younger audience. I do wish there was a bit more adult infused into the book as it really seems like that's the audience it's meant for.
Dimova is a truly creative author who has a great talent for pulling you into a story, making you care about the characters, and pulling you through to the other side while cheering for everything to turn out ok. I'm impressed this is only her second book and I am looking forward to seeing what else she comes up with in the future!
Puck & Prejudice by Lia Riley
adventurous
funny
hopeful
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
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for providing me with an egalley of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I honestly thought this was the first Lia Riley book I had ever read. But when I look back at my reading list, I see I have actually read a few of her titles in the past and enjoyed them. I'm glad I picked this one up.
I'm not much for historical books but give me a good regency love affair and I'm all there. This one mixed for me two of my favorite things: regency romance and hockey. Though it's light on the hockey, the vibe is there. Plus, Riley threw in a little time travel to boot.
The chemistry between the two main characters is definitely at the forefront of this book. It truly is strict romance. There is not much other plot unless you count the fake marriage that occurs. Lizzy is not your typical stuck up regency lady looking for a man to marry and take care of her. She wants to be independent; not an easy feat in her error. But she's determined to do it and having Tuck Taylor fall into her world, literally through a time portal, is just what she needs. Tuck is handsome and funny but he's also modern and teaches Lizzy a thing or two about how great she is and standing up for herself and what she wants. Tuck, on the other hand, misses his modern hockey player life and just wants to get back to his time. He never expects to find the love of his life. Told in alternating points of view, the story follows these two as they navigate friendship, then attraction, and ultimately a longing to be together though they never can be. Lizzy must stay in her time and be who she was always meant to be and Tuck must get back to his time, his hockey career, and his sister.
I enjoyed watching the relationship between these two grow.. Were they attracted to each other right off, pretty much. But it wasn't really insta-love, which I liked. They got to know each other and learn about each other's worlds and through that process fell for each other. Of course Lizzy has some family members who are not on her side. But she also has some friends, including Jane Eyre!, who support everything and anything she wants to do. With lots of laughter and some dodging of villains, specifically LIzzy's brother and mother, the two pull off their sham and ultimately both get what they want in the end.
The ending of the story was just ok for me. I did like that no one gave up their lives for the other but the compromise was a bit unbelievable and I had a hard time suspending my belief of reality for it.
If you're looking for a fun romantic read with not much other plot but some smut and a story that would truly never happen, this one is it. I do wish there was more depth to what Lizzy wanted to do with her life and ultimately how it shaped what happened to the two in the end.
I honestly thought this was the first Lia Riley book I had ever read. But when I look back at my reading list, I see I have actually read a few of her titles in the past and enjoyed them. I'm glad I picked this one up.
I'm not much for historical books but give me a good regency love affair and I'm all there. This one mixed for me two of my favorite things: regency romance and hockey. Though it's light on the hockey, the vibe is there. Plus, Riley threw in a little time travel to boot.
The chemistry between the two main characters is definitely at the forefront of this book. It truly is strict romance. There is not much other plot unless you count the fake marriage that occurs. Lizzy is not your typical stuck up regency lady looking for a man to marry and take care of her. She wants to be independent; not an easy feat in her error. But she's determined to do it and having Tuck Taylor fall into her world, literally through a time portal, is just what she needs. Tuck is handsome and funny but he's also modern and teaches Lizzy a thing or two about how great she is and standing up for herself and what she wants. Tuck, on the other hand, misses his modern hockey player life and just wants to get back to his time. He never expects to find the love of his life. Told in alternating points of view, the story follows these two as they navigate friendship, then attraction, and ultimately a longing to be together though they never can be. Lizzy must stay in her time and be who she was always meant to be and Tuck must get back to his time, his hockey career, and his sister.
I enjoyed watching the relationship between these two grow.. Were they attracted to each other right off, pretty much. But it wasn't really insta-love, which I liked. They got to know each other and learn about each other's worlds and through that process fell for each other. Of course Lizzy has some family members who are not on her side. But she also has some friends, including Jane Eyre!, who support everything and anything she wants to do. With lots of laughter and some dodging of villains, specifically LIzzy's brother and mother, the two pull off their sham and ultimately both get what they want in the end.
The ending of the story was just ok for me. I did like that no one gave up their lives for the other but the compromise was a bit unbelievable and I had a hard time suspending my belief of reality for it.
If you're looking for a fun romantic read with not much other plot but some smut and a story that would truly never happen, this one is it. I do wish there was more depth to what Lizzy wanted to do with her life and ultimately how it shaped what happened to the two in the end.
Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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? Yes
3.5
Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
With Any Luck by Ashley Poston
funny
hopeful
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
Eleven Houses by Colleen Oakes
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers for sending me a copy of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I've not read any books by this author previously but when I was sent the blurb to see if it was something I'd be interested in, I was sucked right in. The fantasy aspect with it's lore and promise of ghosts was really interesting to me.
The cover of the book is gorgeous. And yes, I will judge a book by it's cover. Whoever did the art really captured the essence of the story that unfolds in the pages of the book.
This book is 100% YA and reads as such. Usually I don't mind YA, but the characters in this book seemed particularly immature. I have a 17 year old child and that child is not as naive as these kids were. That being said, when you grow up on a secluded island being schooled in a one room school house, I suppose you may not be as mature as one might expect you to be. I had a hard time connecting or having empathy for any of the characters. And the romance was more of an insta-love, there was no build up or real chemistry between Mabel the FMC and Miles the MMC.
If you've ever seen M. Night Shyamalan's The Village, then you get the vibe this book gives off. The people of Weymouth island definitely separate themselves from the rest of society and live by their own rules. And people just don't try and leave the island to pursue other lives.
All this being said, I just did not find the book flowed all that well. It was extremely slow with not much happening at all until the last few chapters, where all the action took place. I did enjoy the lore, but I felt it wasn't explored enough. The reader is told the lore rather than it being shown. I had a hard time picturing things or understanding just what the people of this island were truly trying to do for the world at large. I needed more world building to understand the magic and be able to have a suspension of belief that only 11 families would guard the world from a potential invasion of the dead. And I needed the author to drop hints as to what was really happening rather than have it all come to a head at the end.
One of my biggest complaints for this book would be the amount of characters that are introduced. I started writing down all the names and where they fit in and it was so many. Some that made just a periphery appearance and never again returned, leaving me trying to understand what their purpose was in the first place.
The writing could have used some tightening for me. I felt like the author never really tried to show what was happening as much as she just told the reader what was happening. It took me out of the story. I wanted to really understand what these storms were bringing to the world. Why did they start? How did the original families know they were the last line of defense for the beings that were trying to break through? It was just not executed well enough for me to understand the world.
I've read a lot of YA and enjoyed it despite being older. I can definitely see how this book might appeal to young readers as its target audience who are wanting to delve into fantasy. It's very young YA and would be easy for a younger age group to understand.
I would not compare this book to Twilight at all, as is listed in the blurb. But it is dark and mysterious and has some good bones as a story.
I would not compare this book to Twilight at all, as is listed in the blurb. But it is dark and mysterious and has some good bones as a story.
Get Lucky by Katherine Center
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
3.0
Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is my first title by Alexis Daria and I was excited to jump in and see how her writing was. I was not disappointed.
I enjoyed her pacing and her plot. Her writing was good and the story line flowed easily.
She easily developed her characters. I really liked Evie. She was fun and I liked how creative she was. Theo seemed nice but I didn't get too much of him since this was from Evie's point of view and very short. Harder to develop characters in such a short amount of time with only one POV.
The chemistry between the two characters was just ok for me. I didn't really feel it as much as I would have liked.
The side characters were nice, though we didn't get much about them other than them living in the building. I did like the relationship Daria portrayed between Evie and her sister April.
I can definitely see myself picking up more titles from this author in the future!
I enjoyed her pacing and her plot. Her writing was good and the story line flowed easily.
She easily developed her characters. I really liked Evie. She was fun and I liked how creative she was. Theo seemed nice but I didn't get too much of him since this was from Evie's point of view and very short. Harder to develop characters in such a short amount of time with only one POV.
The chemistry between the two characters was just ok for me. I didn't really feel it as much as I would have liked.
The side characters were nice, though we didn't get much about them other than them living in the building. I did like the relationship Daria portrayed between Evie and her sister April.
I can definitely see myself picking up more titles from this author in the future!
Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandria Bellefleur
funny
hopeful
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 have not read anything by this author before. I have to say, I really enjoyed this short story. I'm always looking for new romance authors who give great stories that flow well on the page.
Bellefleur easily established the chemistry between Griffin and Evereigh despite the short time in order to do it. I loved their meet cutes and how you could feel the pull between these two characters. They were sexy and flirty together.
I liked that Bellefleur incorporated other characters into the story who were actually developed enough to see their personalities. That is not an easy feat with such a short time frame to work with.
I will say they did fall into bed rather quickly. I do wish there was more between then prior to it happening. And I just don't believe that two people who barely know each other would not use protection and just trust one another, but maybe that's me.
Overall I enjoyed this short with it's fireman theme and all the saving that happened to create a relationship between the characters. I could definitely see this one as a longer story. I'm excited to have found a new romance author to look into!
Bellefleur easily established the chemistry between Griffin and Evereigh despite the short time in order to do it. I loved their meet cutes and how you could feel the pull between these two characters. They were sexy and flirty together.
I liked that Bellefleur incorporated other characters into the story who were actually developed enough to see their personalities. That is not an easy feat with such a short time frame to work with.
I will say they did fall into bed rather quickly. I do wish there was more between then prior to it happening. And I just don't believe that two people who barely know each other would not use protection and just trust one another, but maybe that's me.
Overall I enjoyed this short with it's fireman theme and all the saving that happened to create a relationship between the characters. I could definitely see this one as a longer story. I'm excited to have found a new romance author to look into!