the_paperbackprincess's reviews
45 reviews

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? No

4.0

"You cannot claim what was not given to you. The stag chose me."-Okay, this is technically a quote from the show but it's such a good line.

I first read this book back in 2020 and I didn't remember much before I started rereading it. However, when I started, I was immediately taken back to the first time I read it and how much I enjoyed it.

Alina's growth is my favourite part of this book. Seeing her being pushed and tested and still coming out on top was so amazing to me, especially because it shows how much she's learnt from training and how much she's grown from the start. Even when the rug was pulled out from under her feet and she had to adapt to a new reality, she still fought (she is a soldier after all).

I love how this book ends off and how it shows that even though Alina has learnt a lot and she knows how to use her power, it's not the end of her growth period. There are still things about herself and about her relationships that she needs to figure out now that almost all of the pieces have been revealed.

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Final Offer by Lauren Asher

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad 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

4.5

What I liked: I haven't read many second chance romances but this is definitely one of my favourites. Alana and Cami have my heart. I love how caring and kind Alana is and how protective she is of Cami. She works incredibly hard to give her everything. If I could give Alana the world I wouldS. Callahan...He..I...I love him. I love how he learns to be better, not just for other people but for himself. Him learning and discovering that everyone can get their happily ever after as long as they put in the work for it is one of my favourite parts of this book.

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The Last Feather by Shameez Patel Papathanasiou

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

4.0

I kind of hate myself for taking so long to read this! I have never gotten into a fantasy book so quickly, it took me by such a surprise.

From the moment we meet Cassia, I knew she was going onto my list of not only my favourite female characters but favourite characters in general. She is hard working and caring and loving and if you try to threaten and kidnap her...best believe she will put up a damn good fight. I love her strong friendship with Lucas and the way it was shown in this book. Even though she's upset with him and doesn't completely understand his reasoning, she still helps him. Speaking of Lucas, I need my own version of him. He's a protector and even though Xo has been there longer, you can definitely tell Lucas is very much their leader, not really because of his power but because of his heart and how caring he is (he reminds me a lot of Percy Jackson, so I guess that's why I love him so much). I love how we got to explore Lucas and Cassia's bond, both literal and emotional. They are very much twin souls. And now onto my other favourite....Prince Lochlan. That man is an ABSOLUTE MENACE I TELL YOU and he knows it. The way he kept taunting Lucas had me cackling. And although he was cracking jokes most of the time, towards the ends of the book, you really get to see the other side to him and I'm glad we got to explore that.

I loved the plot of this book however the true plot, for me at least, were the different relationship dynamics that were explored in this book. The friendships and relationships were the true heart of the story for me and I loved it. Plus, most of them were platonic and familial which made this even better!

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