Scan barcode
thecaffeinatedreader's reviews
667 reviews
The Iron Vow by Julie Kagawa
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Seven Faceless Saints by M.K. Lobb
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
The mystery and religious part of it were fun but I just could not get on board with the love story part
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
https://thecaffeinatedreader.com/2020...
SO SPOOKY, SO SOON!
Atmosphere was KEY and so Moreno-Garcia wove you into this spooky house covered by fog, with a cemetery, and something that seems to be almost a living quality to the house.
I demand a horror show out of this. DEMAND.
Poor Catalina, she proved to be stronger and braver than I could have imagined and loved that though she wasn’t the main focus. that she had such a strong part in her own way. But honestly, I adored Noemí and would fight to the death for her, what an amazing bundle of wits, sass, and determination.
And through all of this Moreno-Garcia manages to give us an amazing love story, like, what even is this life anymore? I’m telling you the love story was PERFECTION!
All the characters of the house were exceedingly creepy and yet unique in all their own ways and personalities and holy cow the reveals in this book had me shook and so much jaw-dropping was involved.
Did I mention that Moreno-Garcia also manages to tackle the issue of Spaniards from the colonial times and how it affected them still in the present day of the book? I loved that the house was this ode to Gothic literature in itself but it also showed that the family or at least the head of the family’s obsession with its European roots are strong and that their family caused so much tragedy for the village/town.
This was the perfect haunted house/spooky story and if you have not read this book I encourage you to do so with all my little black, coffee addicted, heart. Sincerely this book was perfection for me, and the fact that it was OwnVoices made it all that much more amazing for me. [I am half Mexican-American, white-passing, so I don’t feel comfortable saying this was an OwnVoices review in tags when I have white privilege.]
5/5 Cups of Coffee, please check out her other novels, and please support diversity in bookstores by buying and/or raving about books like this and so many more ❤
SO SPOOKY, SO SOON!
Atmosphere was KEY and so Moreno-Garcia wove you into this spooky house covered by fog, with a cemetery, and something that seems to be almost a living quality to the house.
I demand a horror show out of this. DEMAND.
Poor Catalina, she proved to be stronger and braver than I could have imagined and loved that though she wasn’t the main focus. that she had such a strong part in her own way. But honestly, I adored Noemí and would fight to the death for her, what an amazing bundle of wits, sass, and determination.
And through all of this Moreno-Garcia manages to give us an amazing love story, like, what even is this life anymore? I’m telling you the love story was PERFECTION!
All the characters of the house were exceedingly creepy and yet unique in all their own ways and personalities and holy cow the reveals in this book had me shook and so much jaw-dropping was involved.
Did I mention that Moreno-Garcia also manages to tackle the issue of Spaniards from the colonial times and how it affected them still in the present day of the book? I loved that the house was this ode to Gothic literature in itself but it also showed that the family or at least the head of the family’s obsession with its European roots are strong and that their family caused so much tragedy for the village/town.
This was the perfect haunted house/spooky story and if you have not read this book I encourage you to do so with all my little black, coffee addicted, heart. Sincerely this book was perfection for me, and the fact that it was OwnVoices made it all that much more amazing for me. [I am half Mexican-American, white-passing, so I don’t feel comfortable saying this was an OwnVoices review in tags when I have white privilege.]
5/5 Cups of Coffee, please check out her other novels, and please support diversity in bookstores by buying and/or raving about books like this and so many more ❤
A Cloud of Outrageous Blue by Vesper Stamper
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Gorgeous art, darkly and wonderfully written.
The author immediately connects you to the MC and plunges you into this gorgeous world. This story was so much darker and emotional than I first thought, I assumed it would be glossed over but it wasn't and oh man, what a treat.
Despite the darker aspects of loss and grief, this was a tale that also gave a wonderful presentation of hope and faith.
Stamper truly goes above and beyond in this novel and I fell in love from page one.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC
The author immediately connects you to the MC and plunges you into this gorgeous world. This story was so much darker and emotional than I first thought, I assumed it would be glossed over but it wasn't and oh man, what a treat.
Despite the darker aspects of loss and grief, this was a tale that also gave a wonderful presentation of hope and faith.
Stamper truly goes above and beyond in this novel and I fell in love from page one.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC
The Seven Endless Forests by April Genevieve Tucholke
challenging
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
This had a classic whimsical feel to it, staying true to the heart of King Arthur's tale in that sense, and with a lovely world presented to us by Tucholke.
There was a major issue though.
Pacing.
I found myself absolutely dragging my heels at the thought of the plot barely moving in the pages I read. Admittedly it picks up, but for me that didn't happen until 70% in and it felt like a 'too little too late' situation at that point.
I would recommend this to fans of King Arthur and those who enjoy retellings as long as they don't mind the slow pacing.
3/5 cups of coffee from me, thank you so much to NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC to read in exchange for my honest review.
There was a major issue though.
Pacing.
I found myself absolutely dragging my heels at the thought of the plot barely moving in the pages I read. Admittedly it picks up, but for me that didn't happen until 70% in and it felt like a 'too little too late' situation at that point.
I would recommend this to fans of King Arthur and those who enjoy retellings as long as they don't mind the slow pacing.
3/5 cups of coffee from me, thank you so much to NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC to read in exchange for my honest review.
The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Balthazar's Bane by Kat Ross
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
3.0
https://thecaffeinatedreader.com/2020...
Balthazar gets to show off his ‘softer’ side, and his vulnerabilities, he is still just a man after all, albeit a very powerful one, and we get to see more of Lucas and his own desires and adventures separate from Balthazar.
The pacing on this is very much kick up the dust and go, which is a huge plus for me, every book she writes, I just fly through.
Though I found this a lot of fun, and loved the lore and mythology used, I think this wasn’t the Balthazar story I hoped for as far as character growth goes, but, you know what? Still FUN and satisfying, it’s not like Ross doesn’t give us a good Balthazar story because she definitely does!
If you’re looking for some quickly paced, intense, 1890s magical desert kingdom fun, I DEFINITELY recommend this book.
Quick, I need the next book already!
3 HUGE cups of coffee from me!!
Thanks SO much to XpressoTours and Acorn Publishing for an eARC in exchange for my honest review as part of the blog tour.
Balthazar gets to show off his ‘softer’ side, and his vulnerabilities, he is still just a man after all, albeit a very powerful one, and we get to see more of Lucas and his own desires and adventures separate from Balthazar.
The pacing on this is very much kick up the dust and go, which is a huge plus for me, every book she writes, I just fly through.
Though I found this a lot of fun, and loved the lore and mythology used, I think this wasn’t the Balthazar story I hoped for as far as character growth goes, but, you know what? Still FUN and satisfying, it’s not like Ross doesn’t give us a good Balthazar story because she definitely does!
If you’re looking for some quickly paced, intense, 1890s magical desert kingdom fun, I DEFINITELY recommend this book.
Quick, I need the next book already!
3 HUGE cups of coffee from me!!
Thanks SO much to XpressoTours and Acorn Publishing for an eARC in exchange for my honest review as part of the blog tour.
The Veiled Descendants (Book 2 of The Veiled Duchess Series) by Sophia Menesini
adventurous
medium-paced
3.0
https://thecaffeinatedreader.com/2020...
We jumped right back into action in this book, yes, time has passed, we left off with Shea on her quest for the vaults and her fiance on a quest to capture her after a year in order to ‘woo’ the Pirate Captain and end their engagement.
I was excited, I wanted wedding bells, I had the song from the third Aladdin movie playing in my head.
Alas.
The world is hell bent on delaying Shea’s search for the vaults and therefore the chase & wedding are delayed as well.
Captain Shea is a magnet for trouble and this time is no exception, she’s thrust into a role to save their world, well, the world as her Princess Fiance and her subjects know it as. [Shea may have some secrets and enlightenment on this subject but that’s for you to read and find out]
The slip back into the crew of our favorite pirate ship made my little heart happy and I was really pleased with the jump into action feel.
Some thoughts on the story as a whole: I loved the plot, I loved the lore and mythology that we’re learning more of! BUT I did feel that this book was more centered on the romance. WHICH IS NOT a bad thing! It was just unexpected for me. It felt as if the world ending took a bit of a backseat, but, I did enjoy the romance aspect and didn’t expect it to take the turn it did so kudos to Menesini for that.
If you like steamy romance scenes, you’ll really enjoy this book!
Still, it ended just how I like, with this intensity and the unknowing element of what’ll happen next, again, don’t want to give spoilers away, but, holy cow I need answers and I need book 3.
Due to the kind of derailing of the plot for so long to focus on the romance, it did in my mind come under book 1, but again, still enjoyable and still a lot of fun.
We jumped right back into action in this book, yes, time has passed, we left off with Shea on her quest for the vaults and her fiance on a quest to capture her after a year in order to ‘woo’ the Pirate Captain and end their engagement.
I was excited, I wanted wedding bells, I had the song from the third Aladdin movie playing in my head.
Alas.
The world is hell bent on delaying Shea’s search for the vaults and therefore the chase & wedding are delayed as well.
Captain Shea is a magnet for trouble and this time is no exception, she’s thrust into a role to save their world, well, the world as her Princess Fiance and her subjects know it as. [Shea may have some secrets and enlightenment on this subject but that’s for you to read and find out]
The slip back into the crew of our favorite pirate ship made my little heart happy and I was really pleased with the jump into action feel.
Some thoughts on the story as a whole: I loved the plot, I loved the lore and mythology that we’re learning more of! BUT I did feel that this book was more centered on the romance. WHICH IS NOT a bad thing! It was just unexpected for me. It felt as if the world ending took a bit of a backseat, but, I did enjoy the romance aspect and didn’t expect it to take the turn it did so kudos to Menesini for that.
If you like steamy romance scenes, you’ll really enjoy this book!
Still, it ended just how I like, with this intensity and the unknowing element of what’ll happen next, again, don’t want to give spoilers away, but, holy cow I need answers and I need book 3.
Due to the kind of derailing of the plot for so long to focus on the romance, it did in my mind come under book 1, but again, still enjoyable and still a lot of fun.
Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Such a fantastic tale! I'm a huge Cinderella fan, and the retellings always tend to be so creative, but this is one of my top two favorites yet!
Bayron gives you the whimsy and magic of the Disney version while also giving you the darkness of the original Grimms tale. She stays true to both while creating something entirely her own.
It's almost a historical dystopian somehow! Cinderella has been gone 200 years but the tale of her magical night at the ball and marrying the Prince guides Lille on how they live their lives, the women in particular. They are required to attend the ball and present themselves to their King and suitors, to be claimed. They have three years, three chances, and no one knows what happens after they're forced to forfeit/after their parents forfeit them.
Sophia doesn't want to go to the ball, she doesn't want a husband or to live Cinderella's fairytale, she wants to be with her best friend Erin, the same girl who is her first and current love. But this isn't possible in Lille.
The story is well-paced, and it takes time to build up toward Sophia's shining moment, she's made choices and follows through with each one. I loved her interactions with Constance and found that Amina was my overall favorite character because Bayron just wrote her so BRILLIANTLY.
I'm gushing, I know, but I adored this book and can't wait for it's UK release. 4/5 cups of coffee from me, thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Bayron gives you the whimsy and magic of the Disney version while also giving you the darkness of the original Grimms tale. She stays true to both while creating something entirely her own.
It's almost a historical dystopian somehow! Cinderella has been gone 200 years but the tale of her magical night at the ball and marrying the Prince guides Lille on how they live their lives, the women in particular. They are required to attend the ball and present themselves to their King and suitors, to be claimed. They have three years, three chances, and no one knows what happens after they're forced to forfeit/after their parents forfeit them.
Sophia doesn't want to go to the ball, she doesn't want a husband or to live Cinderella's fairytale, she wants to be with her best friend Erin, the same girl who is her first and current love. But this isn't possible in Lille.
The story is well-paced, and it takes time to build up toward Sophia's shining moment, she's made choices and follows through with each one. I loved her interactions with Constance and found that Amina was my overall favorite character because Bayron just wrote her so BRILLIANTLY.
I'm gushing, I know, but I adored this book and can't wait for it's UK release. 4/5 cups of coffee from me, thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.