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tobereadbookshelf's Reviews (935)
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Hate smut to love in zero to sixty. Honestly I thought the MMC was kind of a red flag but BookTok will love it. This was alright but underwhelming and somewhat underdeveloped - 2.5 stars.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The popularity of this book is a testament to the absolute chokehold the “enemies to lovers” trope has on the book community (I am not immune). The second half was undoubtedly better than the first, but it could not fully salvage this book for me. I had to start over twice before I felt like I had even an inkling of who, where, when or what was even going on and only continued because I was so baffled that it could be that confusing and still gain so much hype. If you want to know what people mean when they say “info dumping,” read this book. I actually think the next book will be much better now that the initial world building is out of the way, but sheesh, that was rough.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Why is this series so popular? I just do not understand. If you love them, feel free to make your case! At this point I think Stephanie Garber maybe just isn’t for me. Her descriptions make me want to take a nap. 😴 More words does not necessarily equal better writing. Say less — PLEASE. I’m also willing to admit that I probably shouldn’t have listened to the audiobook. It’s the same voice actor as Fourth Wing and I swear if I have to hear her say FARest instead of FORest ONE MORE TIME I’m gonna lose it. These books are alright, but I don’t really feel invested in any of the characters and after finishing this series, I understand the Jacks obsession even less. They can’t all be favorites I guess. 🤷🏼♀️
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This started out strong, but by the end it just felt like yet another Beauty and the Beast retelling with an ending I saw coming from a mile away. Honestly, I could have still loved it even with a largely recycled plot, but the romance was not well written and made me physically cringe at times. Sometimes the tropes and obvious plots are what I’m in the mood for, but this was in need of a few more twists and turns to really hold my interest. Taking into consideration that this was a debut novel, I will still give this series another shot. With a little more experience, I think this author might produce some excellent books.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lucy Gray was the songbird. Snow was the snake.
Initially, I found it difficult to get into this since it was written from Snow’s point of view. I would always rather read about the underdog and knowing going in that Snow would be the villain made his character hard to connect with. If I am honest though, I might have disliked Lucy Gray’s character even more. For someone who could hold their own in the Hunger Games, she sure was gullible and I found it pretty annoying when she sang.
I was prepared to rate this two stars but the ending really brought the book home for me. I thought the conclusion was very strong and well developed and that Snow’s character was perfectly written. Seeing inside his mind, you get a sense that he was always a villain at his core and that he would do anything to save his own neck. He reminded me a lot of the main character in “You” and it was eerie to read about how easily he could rationalize his decisions and convince himself that all of his actions were justified and necessary. Snow is essentially a high functioning psychopath, just the person you want in politics. 🥴
I think I would have enjoyed this book more if it were written in dual POV’s. Snow’s character was excellently written but I would have liked to read some of the story, particularly inside the Hunger Games, from Lucy Gray’s POV. I also think some of what she said and did could have been an act and knowing what was going through her mind would have given her character more depth and maybe endeared her to me a little more. Can’t say that this is my favorite book, but I still think it’s worth the read.
Initially, I found it difficult to get into this since it was written from Snow’s point of view. I would always rather read about the underdog and knowing going in that Snow would be the villain made his character hard to connect with. If I am honest though, I might have disliked Lucy Gray’s character even more. For someone who could hold their own in the Hunger Games, she sure was gullible and I found it pretty annoying when she sang.
I was prepared to rate this two stars but the ending really brought the book home for me. I thought the conclusion was very strong and well developed and that Snow’s character was perfectly written. Seeing inside his mind, you get a sense that he was always a villain at his core and that he would do anything to save his own neck. He reminded me a lot of the main character in “You” and it was eerie to read about how easily he could rationalize his decisions and convince himself that all of his actions were justified and necessary. Snow is essentially a high functioning psychopath, just the person you want in politics. 🥴
I think I would have enjoyed this book more if it were written in dual POV’s. Snow’s character was excellently written but I would have liked to read some of the story, particularly inside the Hunger Games, from Lucy Gray’s POV. I also think some of what she said and did could have been an act and knowing what was going through her mind would have given her character more depth and maybe endeared her to me a little more. Can’t say that this is my favorite book, but I still think it’s worth the read.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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:
No
This is really a great series and deserves more hype. There were a few things I disliked about book one, but those issues were mostly remedied in this installment. The ending was a bit unexpected and left me with a few unanswered questions but overall I enjoyed this even more than A Broken Blade. Looking forward to getting my hands on book three.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-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:
No
This was a cute and cozy read. Overall I really enjoyed this, but I felt it was in need of more in depth character development and a few more hijinks from the house to take it from good to great.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I feel a rant coming on, I’ll try to keep it brief. The “feminist” message this book was strongly pushing was that men are evil or at best, indifferent observers to the evils of other men. Cancel me if you want, but I’ve gotta say - I am not here for it. The traumas depicted in this book may be fictional, but they are very near to reality for many women. I firmly believe that those stories should be told and that we should shine light on the evils of this world, but I am against making blanket statements or writing off an entire group of people for any reason.
“Perhaps I will leave them to my daughter. I like the thought of that: a long line of Weyward women, stretching after me. For the first child born to a Weyward is always female, my mother told me. That is why she only had me, just as her mother only had her. There are enough men in the world already, she used to say.” -Alma
Men are first boys. Could they not instead choose to raise the men they wanted to see in the world? To teach them to see things more clearly? To share what they knew of nature and to nurture a love for it in their boys as well? The saving grace of this book in my opinion was that Alma’s sister broke this cycle and had a second child - a boy. He was a breath of fresh air after reading so many pages that sought to vilify the male gender. He was human and therefore imperfect, but no one could deny that he loved his sister. How could anyone argue that their relationship did not enrich her life and her world?
Also, they were in fact witches, were they not? And they did in fact murder people using the connections they had with nature. I think the argument the author is leaning on is that “witch”is a label created by men. I was perplexed then that the author did not include some small magics throughout the story to support their magic being “good” or at least not innately evil. The way the story was laid out, it almost supported a need to fear them in my opinion. If you are picking this up in search of magic, look elsewhere. Frankly, there is hardly any magic to speak of in this book and what is included is less than impressive.
Sigh… maybe I rated this too high. I’m really struggling to understand the hype for this one.
“Perhaps I will leave them to my daughter. I like the thought of that: a long line of Weyward women, stretching after me. For the first child born to a Weyward is always female, my mother told me. That is why she only had me, just as her mother only had her. There are enough men in the world already, she used to say.” -Alma
Men are first boys. Could they not instead choose to raise the men they wanted to see in the world? To teach them to see things more clearly? To share what they knew of nature and to nurture a love for it in their boys as well? The saving grace of this book in my opinion was that Alma’s sister broke this cycle and had a second child - a boy. He was a breath of fresh air after reading so many pages that sought to vilify the male gender. He was human and therefore imperfect, but no one could deny that he loved his sister. How could anyone argue that their relationship did not enrich her life and her world?
Also, they were in fact witches, were they not? And they did in fact murder people using the connections they had with nature. I think the argument the author is leaning on is that “witch”is a label created by men. I was perplexed then that the author did not include some small magics throughout the story to support their magic being “good” or at least not innately evil. The way the story was laid out, it almost supported a need to fear them in my opinion. If you are picking this up in search of magic, look elsewhere. Frankly, there is hardly any magic to speak of in this book and what is included is less than impressive.
Sigh… maybe I rated this too high. I’m really struggling to understand the hype for this one.
emotional
sad
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:
Complicated
“Should I be surprised that I was falling in love with you a second time? Should I be surprised that your words found me here even in the darkness?”
Let me first say that I absolutely adore Roman & Iris. Their correspondence and devotion to each other is extremely romantic and Rebecca Ross certainly has a way with words. Like many other readers, I feel very invested in them as a couple, but I cannot say that I feel as invested in the story. Unfortunately, we did not get nearly as much Roman & Iris in Ruthless Vows. I missed their banter and getting to see them interact. The few scenes where they did come together seemed a little too convenient and unlikely to me. I tried hard to keep my romance goggles on and to convince myself that fate was pulling them together, but I could not help but doubt the likelihood of them having any in person interaction at all in these circumstances.
I was also a little disappointed by the ending. Perhaps it was realistic, but I had hoped for more. I don’t want to say too much, but I hoped for healing and I hoped for a happier end for our characters. I really wanted to love this series as much as so many other readers seem to, but it’s a solid 3 star for me. On the bright side, the Fairyloot edition will sure look pretty on my shelf. 😉
Not ready to say goodbye to Roman & Iris! Someone please write an open-door fanfic. 😜
“Let me be your secret, then. Tuck my words into your pocket. Let them be your armor.” 🤍
Let me first say that I absolutely adore Roman & Iris. Their correspondence and devotion to each other is extremely romantic and Rebecca Ross certainly has a way with words. Like many other readers, I feel very invested in them as a couple, but I cannot say that I feel as invested in the story. Unfortunately, we did not get nearly as much Roman & Iris in Ruthless Vows. I missed their banter and getting to see them interact. The few scenes where they did come together seemed a little too convenient and unlikely to me. I tried hard to keep my romance goggles on and to convince myself that fate was pulling them together, but I could not help but doubt the likelihood of them having any in person interaction at all in these circumstances.
I was also a little disappointed by the ending. Perhaps it was realistic, but I had hoped for more. I don’t want to say too much, but I hoped for healing and I hoped for a happier end for our characters. I really wanted to love this series as much as so many other readers seem to, but it’s a solid 3 star for me. On the bright side, the Fairyloot edition will sure look pretty on my shelf. 😉
Not ready to say goodbye to Roman & Iris! Someone please write an open-door fanfic. 😜
“Let me be your secret, then. Tuck my words into your pocket. Let them be your armor.” 🤍
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3.5 stars. I can see a Renaissance Fair type gal just devouring this. Grace Draven is an underrated author in my opinion. This was a solid read but maybe not the most memorable of stories.