Take a photo of a barcode or cover
thebookishmechanic's Reviews (281)
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
I have been trying to write a review about this book for days but how do you properly articulate that a book left no impression on you? This book was fine, the characters were fine, everything was fine. I can't say I didn't enjoy it because that would be a lie but there was nothing about this book that stood out, or made me want to yell from the roof tops about how much I loved it. The grease references were a great tie in and definitely increased my star rating by like half. The conversation at the breakfast table made me laugh out loud and was probably the best part of the entire book for me. overall, yeah it was okay but I can't say I loved it.
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Jasmine Mas is an expert at drawing out the slow burn while steadily building tension, but if you’re looking for a high-heat read, this book might not hit the mark. You get just a touch of action for a hefty buildup of spice.
Her writing style is quirky and unique in a way you won’t find in other books. I struggled to explain it to a friend and eventually landed on: “Jasmine writes the way late Gen Z and early Gen Alpha talk.” For the record, I find that incredibly enjoyable.
That said, in my (admittedly limited) experience with her books, Jasmine’s female leads tend to follow a similar mold. So if you didn’t click with one, chances are you won’t vibe with the others either.
There’s not much action in this story, most of it centers around character relationships, with a few monster fights sprinkled in. But since the monsters weren’t fleshed out much, it was hard to feel invested in those moments. Things didn’t really pick up until around the 70% mark of the audiobook. Personally, that didn’t bother me, I prefer character-driven stories, so the slower plot pace worked for me. Plus, the ending sets us up nicely for book two.
The male narrator cast absolutely nailed it. I’ve been a Teddy Hamilton fan for a long time, but Jamie Lincoln Smith and Jeremy York really impressed me and are now firmly on my list of voice actors to watch. As for Mollie Stark, she gave the female main character a childlike tone. I don’t exactly hate that choice, it kind of works for a 20 year old who’s been through as much as Sadie has, but it’s not my favourite when we’re also meant to see her as powerful and sexual, especially in a book that includes spicy scenes.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will definitely continue the series. If you loved the character dynamics in Broken Bonds by J. Bree, you’ll feel right at home with Sadie and her psycho Alphas
Her writing style is quirky and unique in a way you won’t find in other books. I struggled to explain it to a friend and eventually landed on: “Jasmine writes the way late Gen Z and early Gen Alpha talk.” For the record, I find that incredibly enjoyable.
That said, in my (admittedly limited) experience with her books, Jasmine’s female leads tend to follow a similar mold. So if you didn’t click with one, chances are you won’t vibe with the others either.
There’s not much action in this story, most of it centers around character relationships, with a few monster fights sprinkled in. But since the monsters weren’t fleshed out much, it was hard to feel invested in those moments. Things didn’t really pick up until around the 70% mark of the audiobook. Personally, that didn’t bother me, I prefer character-driven stories, so the slower plot pace worked for me. Plus, the ending sets us up nicely for book two.
The male narrator cast absolutely nailed it. I’ve been a Teddy Hamilton fan for a long time, but Jamie Lincoln Smith and Jeremy York really impressed me and are now firmly on my list of voice actors to watch. As for Mollie Stark, she gave the female main character a childlike tone. I don’t exactly hate that choice, it kind of works for a 20 year old who’s been through as much as Sadie has, but it’s not my favourite when we’re also meant to see her as powerful and sexual, especially in a book that includes spicy scenes.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will definitely continue the series. If you loved the character dynamics in Broken Bonds by J. Bree, you’ll feel right at home with Sadie and her psycho Alphas
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I always say “I don’t really read romance books” and “it needs to have fantasy and romance for me to enjoy it”. I’ve proven that time and time again, when my friends recommend me a romance book and I don’t enjoy it, or I barely make it through the book.
What I’ve learned recently is I just haven’t been trying the right romances. I absolutely fell in love with this story and these characters - I was rooting for Daniel from the very beginning. Zachary Webber did a great job portraying Daniel in tbe audio book, though I have to admit I think I would listen to him reading me his grocery list and I would thank him for it afterwards.
Alexis’s character was extremely relatable in wanting to keep everyone around her happy even at the expense of her own happiness. Alexis also reminded me of my closest friend which honestly made me love her more.
Long story short, I’m not sure there was anything I didn’t love about this book.
What I’ve learned recently is I just haven’t been trying the right romances. I absolutely fell in love with this story and these characters - I was rooting for Daniel from the very beginning. Zachary Webber did a great job portraying Daniel in tbe audio book, though I have to admit I think I would listen to him reading me his grocery list and I would thank him for it afterwards.
Alexis’s character was extremely relatable in wanting to keep everyone around her happy even at the expense of her own happiness. Alexis also reminded me of my closest friend which honestly made me love her more.
Long story short, I’m not sure there was anything I didn’t love about this book.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was blessed by entangled to receive a review copy of this book, I can’t really call it advance because the book was already out at that point. Since the book was already published i decided to read and listen at the same time, I am a sucker for a good immersive reading experience.
The Never List by Jade Presley was everything I look for in a romantasy book, I love the broody male characters who don’t trust anyone but each other. I love the strong FMC who has had to fight tooth and nail her entire life for everything she has only to find men who would prefer she never lift a finger again but won’t stop her if that’s what she wants.
I did however find some of the major plot points to be relatively predictable, which doesn’t take away from a story for me.
This story gave me zodiac academy vibes if the FMC ended up with all 4 characters instead of just one. That could have been because the male narrator was Jake Bordeaux. I have never met a book narrated by Jake that I didn’t love and this was no exception. Michelle Price did a fantastic job making her voice changes between female characters, allowing me to differentiate with ease.
Overall I highly recommend this book if you want an easy and enjoyable romantic fantasy, but the ending is going to leave you wanting so much more and the next book doesn’t have a release date as far as I can find.
The Never List by Jade Presley was everything I look for in a romantasy book, I love the broody male characters who don’t trust anyone but each other. I love the strong FMC who has had to fight tooth and nail her entire life for everything she has only to find men who would prefer she never lift a finger again but won’t stop her if that’s what she wants.
I did however find some of the major plot points to be relatively predictable, which doesn’t take away from a story for me.
This story gave me zodiac academy vibes if the FMC ended up with all 4 characters instead of just one. That could have been because the male narrator was Jake Bordeaux. I have never met a book narrated by Jake that I didn’t love and this was no exception. Michelle Price did a fantastic job making her voice changes between female characters, allowing me to differentiate with ease.
Overall I highly recommend this book if you want an easy and enjoyable romantic fantasy, but the ending is going to leave you wanting so much more and the next book doesn’t have a release date as far as I can find.
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
I wanted to love this book and to be completely honest I might have loved it more if I had done the physical instead of the audio. Alex Kydd did not do it for me, his voicing female characters made me cringe at times and he often did this laugh thing that took me out of the story every time. Honestly it gave me the ick.
Kai was a loveable character, once womanizer turned dad who would give up everything for his kid? I’m in.
Millie was honestly TOO relatable for me, her character arc and struggles were oddly parallel to some of my own life experiences. Not many people know this about me but if I wasn’t a mechanic I would probably be a baker.
Overall I found the story to be enjoyable but at times I felt like it dragged on and I would lose interest. The last 10% of the story was extremely emotional and had my eyes watering while I was at work.
I’ll definitely continue reading the series.
Kai was a loveable character, once womanizer turned dad who would give up everything for his kid? I’m in.
Millie was honestly TOO relatable for me, her character arc and struggles were oddly parallel to some of my own life experiences. Not many people know this about me but if I wasn’t a mechanic I would probably be a baker.
Overall I found the story to be enjoyable but at times I felt like it dragged on and I would lose interest. The last 10% of the story was extremely emotional and had my eyes watering while I was at work.
I’ll definitely continue reading the series.
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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:
Complicated
dark
emotional
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:
Complicated
This book emotionally destroyed me, I loved every second of it.
A book has never made me cry like that before.
A book has never made me cry like that before.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
l've been putting off writing a review for this book for days, not because I didn't enjoy it, but because I did, so much.
Enchantra had me in a chokehold from the very first page and unlike Rowin, it left marks. The characters are incredibly lovable, and the descriptions create such vivid imagery that I felt completely immersed in the story.
Enchantra had me in a chokehold from the very first page and unlike Rowin, it left marks. The characters are incredibly lovable, and the descriptions create such vivid imagery that I felt completely immersed in the story.
I rarely stay up late reading, but I couldn't put this book down. I was completely obsessed.
Rowin is everything I look for in a male love interest. it felt like Kaylie Smith had a checklist of all the traits I adore. Vivi was such a relatable and sassy character to follow, she brought so much to the story. It always means the world to me to read about plus size characters that are comfortable in their skin but are also desired. As a plus size girl I find this representation to be so important, I felt like Kaylie did a fantastic job with the portrayal.
It’s been weeks since I’ve read this book and I still can’t stop thinking about it. I'm already eagerly anticipating the next book.
It’s been weeks since I’ve read this book and I still can’t stop thinking about it. I'm already eagerly anticipating the next book.
Thank you Second Sky Books for the
ARC it was such a joy and the highlight of my March reading.