thebookrealmguide's Reviews (44)

The Wren in the Holly Library

K.A. Linde

3.75

adventurous challenging dark fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: N/A

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book was such a fun, action-packed, fast paced, bingeable dystopian romantasy. There is nothing revolutionary about it. Just a standard cliche new adult urban fantasy read, in a good way. Just enjoyed it for what it is.

I read this as a read along, and I honestly think that made it more fun. Just a bunch of girls enjoying a fun book. Reading this book in a silo wouldn’t have been as great of a time.

I also chose to do immersion reading with the audiobook and ebook. Stephanie Németh-Parker does a fantastic job narrating the story. Her ability to make each character feel individual was impeccable. This provided so much ambiance to enhance my reading experience.

This book had one of my new favorite troupes - found family. I loved Kierse’s devotion and love for her friends, Gen and Ethan. This needed more developing though. It’s one of the better elements of the story. There is a reveal about them at the end and it is something I hope Book Two explores more.

I also find the magic system to be intriguing. It needs a lot more fleshing out in Book Two, but it has the makings to be something interesting to explore and unravel.

I wished the romance built up more seamlessly between the main characters. They are suppose to be fated, but I wish we saw more of them falling in love on the page. They make more sense as mentor/mentee, so the jump into a physical relationship was abrupt. They go from simply thinking each other is hot to “you are my person” too fast for how little they interacted outside of their heist training and planning.

I don’t love the relationship histories of the characters, especially Graves. It doesn’t fit for how particular and orderly he is for his love life to be all over the place. Literally everyone hate him and they are his enemies. He seems to be too by the book for that to be the case. It would have made more sense if he kept to himself and didn’t pursue relationships at all.

One thing I do hope for is that this doesn’t become a love triangle. It’s hinted at here and there, but selfishly I would prefer the main characters figured out their trust issues and differences and pushed forward together.

I also could have done with less monsters. I couldn’t keep up, but that just might be a me thing. I prefer to stick to one or two magical creatures per book/series. Since it is clear in the blurb, I didn’t factor this into my rating.

I do wish we had more consequences in the book. Whether it is villains, deaths, betrayals, etc, all is forgiven and forgotten rather quickly. It would be more impactful to the story if the decisions made altered the trajectory of the main characters’ journey more. Mostly things are glossed over.

Just as an aside, one person wrote that this reads like a CW show, and I would agree. I wouldn’t say that’s a bad thing, I do love a good CW show. Just don’t expect too much from it and enjoy the ride.

Overall, I will keep reading and I’m looking forward to Book Two.

What to expect:

🗡️ Dystopian Romantasy

❤️‍🔥 Beauty and The Beast Retelling

🗡️ Celtic Mythology

❤️‍🔥Forced Proximity

🗡️Heist

❤️‍🔥Touch Her and 💀

🗡️Now You Work for Me

❤️‍🔥Spicy

🗡️Magical Monsters in NYC

❤️‍🔥Found Family

Thank you Entangled Publishing for my complimentary copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Arrow and the Alder

Barbara Kloss

4.5

adventurous dark emotional 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: Yes

4.5⭐️ • IG

Fae (in this book kith). Slow burn. Enemies to lovers. Secret identities. Magic. Monsters. Immortal royals. Ancient curses.

This is The Arrow & The Alder in a nutshell shell. It’s a mix of the ancient magic and world-building of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the lyrical sweet romantic innocence of Rebecca Ross’ Divine Rivals, and the decaying woodsy feel of Naomi Novik’s Uprooted.

Josephine and Alder were such rich, deep, well rounded characters. I felt I really got to know them on a personal level and that doesn’t happen very often for me. I got lost in their swoon-worthy romance and the detailed world around them.

I also deeply enjoyed that it was a closed-door romance. It was wonderful to experience a love story with its sweet subtleties and witty banter.

Thank you NetGalley and Whimsical Publishing for this complimentary ARC ebook copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Never List

Jade Presley

3.0

adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Hot people with magic. Spicy thirst traps. Steamy matchmaking chaos. One girl and four wildly different guys who need to mate to grow their powers. If you need a fun vibe read, this one is for you! I highly recommend the audiobook.

Content Warnings

Sunrise on the Reaping

Suzanne Collins

4.5

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense 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

4.5⭐️ • IG

“I love you like all-fire.” ♥️

This was a haunting and disturbing read. I came back home to a treasured story, but it grew up with me too, giving me a gruesomely dark and bittersweet new layer to savor. I’m devastatingly heartbroken for my old friend, Haymitch, but now I understand his choices so much more. The snow may fall, but the sun also rises. It doesn’t always land on top. Thank God we win in the end.

Content Warnings

The Book Club for Troublesome Women

Marie Bostwick

4.0

emotional funny inspiring reflective 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: Yes

4⭐️ • IG

Curlers in, coffee poured, and one radical book in hand. Four friends are about to turn the '60s upside down.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick follows four suburban housewives, Margaret, Viv, Bitsy, and Charlotte, who start a book club to read The Feminine Mystique and begin questioning their traditional roles. As their friendship deepens, each woman is pushed toward self-discovery, empowerment, and the courage to face personal struggles in a rapidly changing world.

This novel challenged me in the best way as it wasn’t my usual escapist fantasy, but something that kept me grounded in real life. As a homemaker in the modern world, I felt my life was being mirrored to me in this historical fiction novel more than I expected. I would liken myself to a Margaret, homemaker and writer alike. If I lived in 1963 Concordia, I would have been a Betty. I connected with each of the four women for different reasons. But most importantly, I deeply resonated with the thoughts and feelings they all had of wanting more while still being grateful for all they had.

This book was an excellent reminder to remember our individual dreams and to find time to achieve them even if it takes a little while. For me, it’s my “jobette” as a book reviewer and hoping it can turn into something more professional as it did for Margaret and her article writing. Her boldness and ability to balance all her responsibilities, personal and professional, was inspiring to me to press forth with achieving my personal goals.

I’d recommend this book to traditional wives and stay at home moms of the modern era as a reminder to not lose ourselves as we do our primary jobs. Our identity doesn’t stop there and it is healthy to want “more”, whatever that may mean for you. I hope we can all make Aunt Betty proud!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for this complimentary ARC ebook copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Content Warnings

To Steal from Thieves

M.K. Lobb

4.0

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

4⭐️ • IG

“Kissing Kane was not gentle. It was grasping fingers and bruising touch and the delicate skim of teeth. It was vicious collision and fury in the space between breathless gasps. It was the heady scent of smoke and the dizzying absence of all rational thought.”

I’ll never see the word “coward” the same again. IYKYK 😉

To Steal from Thieves by M.K. Lobb is a young adult historical fantasy novel set in an alternate Victorian-era London, where crime and alchemy collide. It follows two skilled thieves who must navigate a web of secrets, deception, and danger as they attempt an ambitious heist that could change their lives forever.

What a delectable read! TSfT has one of the best uses of dual points of view I have seen. Zaria and Kane have distinct and intriguing voices, making it enjoyable to be in either of their narratives.

The plot is super fun, entertaining, fast-paced, and emotional at times. The banter between Zaria and Kane is sexy and scrumptious!

I thoroughly enjoyed the crimes-ridden London setting. Lobb establishes it very well through her detailed exposition. It strikes an ideal balance between realism and fantasy. The setting then adds the perfect backdrop to Lobb’s alchemological magic system. It is unique and logical, making it easy to understand and believable from the start.

Lobb has THANKFULLY confirm this is a duology and there will be a sequel! This is perfect, because the book ended on quite a dramatic cliffhanger.

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for this complimentary ARC ebook copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A Touch of Shadows

Jessica Thorne

2.25

adventurous dark emotional 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

RATING BREAKDOWN

Characters: 2⭐

Setting: 3⭐

Plot: 2⭐

Themes: 2⭐

Personal Enjoyment: 2⭐

Total Rounded Average: 2.25 ⭐

A Touch of Shadows is a fantasy romance and a loose Rapunzel retelling, blending forbidden magic with a high-stakes magical quest. Wren, a young witch with dangerous powers, must navigate a world that fears her while forming an unexpected connection with Finn, a knight sworn to destroy magic like hers. The premise is compelling, blending romance, mystery, and magic, but the execution didn’t fully meet its potential.

Wren was an engaging protagonist, but the male characters felt underdeveloped, making it harder to connect with them. The multiple POVs disrupted the flow, and I found Wren’s perspective the most compelling—sticking with her alone might have created a stronger, more immersive experience.

The magic system, while intriguing, lacked clarity, leaving me more confused than intrigued by the end. A bit more depth in this area would have made the world-building much stronger.

The pacing was another challenge. The story didn’t fully pick up until the halfway point, making the first half feel slower than necessary. By the end, I wasn’t sure this needed to be a trilogy; a standalone or duology might have told the story in a more concise and impactful way. There were also quite a few lingering questions that left me feeling unsatisfied rather than eager for the next book.

Overall, while this book had a creative premise and some engaging moments, it didn’t fully click for me. I can see how it might appeal to readers who love atmospheric fantasy romance, but unfortunately, it wasn’t my favorite.

Content Warnings

A Language of Dragons

S.F. Williamson

4.25

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

This was a great read! I thoroughly enjoyed the dragons. They were witty and had diverse personalities. I found myself wanting more of their presence. They were my favorite. If there are future books, I hope they take a more prominent part in the story. The magic system for the dragons was very unique and intriguing. I found myself wanting to learn a dragon language haha.

If you are able to do immersion reading with the audiobook, I would highly recommend. Hearing the dragons with their accents helped place me deeper into the story.