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tobereadbookshelf's Reviews (935)
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I thought this was a trilogy!!!?? I could tell by about the halfway point that there was no way this series would reach a conclusion by the end of this book so at least I had a little time to adjust my expectations. I love it when an author can get you completely invested in one love interest and then flip the script like this. I am now 1000% team Cyrus. I was a little surprised by some of the choices made by our main characters near the end of this book. One decision in particular felt to be very clearly the wrong choice in my opinion and it’s one that can’t be undone. I honestly lost a little respect for Alizeh, but I can already tell it will likely have a positive outcome. I don’t really like the narrative that making these evil choices that cause others pain (and potentially death) is the only way for her to rule. I also don’t understand why she needs to rule on her own. I personally don’t want any one person to have supreme power and with these recent decisions she has proven that she is not quite so pure of heart.
Ultimately not much really happens in this book, but all of the characters have such rich personalities that I did not really mind that this was mostly filler. The way these books are written is really what makes them great. There is a cadence and quirkiness to them that is somehow both unique and reminiscent of classic literature. There are many books that I feel need another pass or two by an editor, but these books feel like finely crafted works of art. I need to do a little research to see if the next book will be the final book in the series. Now for the pertinent questions, what color do we think it will be? I’m putting my money on silver. 😁 It really bugs me that they are half an inch shorter than all my other books. Just me?
Ultimately not much really happens in this book, but all of the characters have such rich personalities that I did not really mind that this was mostly filler. The way these books are written is really what makes them great. There is a cadence and quirkiness to them that is somehow both unique and reminiscent of classic literature. There are many books that I feel need another pass or two by an editor, but these books feel like finely crafted works of art. I need to do a little research to see if the next book will be the final book in the series. Now for the pertinent questions, what color do we think it will be? I’m putting my money on silver. 😁 It really bugs me that they are half an inch shorter than all my other books. Just me?
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
I never really think of myself as a mood reader, but I must have been in the mood for this. That’s the only explanation I can come up with for actually enjoying this even as the plot and the FMC drove me insane. Our FMC is a human servant living in the palace with two Fae Princes (of course there a two). She has been desperately in love with the younger prince all her life. They played together as children but after his mother died, he forgot she existed and slept his way through the entire kingdom of fae females. Now, that detail alone is enough to shoot a massive hole in this plot. Sure, they live in a castle, but they do in fact live under the same roof, and the author expects the reader to accept that they haven’t spoken in literal years. I think not.
The FMC tries to orchestrate an encounter between herself and the prince by lurking outside of an event that is only for the fae. The crown prince finds her instead but so does another fae male who attacks her because she’s human. The older prince protects her, but since she broke the rules they decide to send her away to her “family.” She is an orphan at this point and both her parents have been dead for a while, but I’m supposed to believe she has all this family she has never met? They teach her self defense and basically torture her to make her strong and then send her back to the castle a few years later. She thinks they do all this because she was attacked but you’d think she’d at least question the torture or the fact that they send her back, but no, not our FMC. She questions nothing. (They are rebels).
The crown prince is of course the responsible one who has been trying to protect his brother from their angry and abusive father since their mother died. He decides that it’s time for his brother to grow up and when his father decides the younger prince must marry the princess of another kingdom, the crown prince is fully on board. This also bothered me, because the older prince mentioned on several occasion that he wanted to wait for his mate, but he acts like his younger brother is a brat for not accepting an arranged marriage. Seems hypocritical.
The FMC and the younger prince finally bump into each other again and start spending time together. There are rules against human and fae relationships and he is meant to marry the fae princess so they try to keep their relationship secret but they are of course discovered. He gets beaten by his dad and then accepts his fate and they break it off after only a kiss. This is where the FMC gets really annoying because she says stuff like “he’s my best friend” when he literally ignored her for years and they don’t even know each other as adults. She keeps pining over him and acting exceedingly delulu.
Then one night the bad fae guy finds her again and attacks her and she manages to kill him. It’s self defense but she’s brought before the king who decides to make an example of her and have her killed. She expects her prince to stand up for her. He says nothing, but of course, the crown prince with the savior complex decides to save her by saying that she is his fiancé. Now this my friends, makes zero sense. There is literally no way this would get her out of trouble with this particular king. He would absolutely want to have a say in who the future ruler of his kingdom married and again, there are rules preventing humans and fae from dating. The author just expects us to believe that the prince is like, I’ll explain later dad and the king just accepts that? Not a chance. Especially after she literally passes out when he makes this pronouncement. Then basically everyone including the king knows it’s a sham but they decide to go through with it for various reasons, some of which make more sense than others.
At this point in the plot, I started to enjoy it a little more. I maybe just accepted that it was a super cheesy book with a silly plot and just went with it. I will say that most of the characters including the side characters were very likable and well developed. Our FMC got less annoying when she stopped pining for the other prince but she still wasn’t my favorite. I especially enjoyed the relationship between the crown prince and his best friend. They had great banter and camaraderie which felt realistic and warm.
If the mood strikes, maybe I’ll even read book two. I do really wish the author would have workshopped the first 1/3 of this book more. I also think she relied heavily on other similar fae books. She really did not do much world building or explain the magic system at all. It kind of felt like she just assumed she didn’t have to because her readers would just make assumptions based on their existing knowledge from other books. This is honestly likely true, but it still felt a little lazy to me. The characters also kind of alluded to other races beyond human and fae without labeling them which felt a little sly to me. It almost felt like the author wanted to leave that door open so she could decide to add them in later if she felt like it.
Anyway, grudgingly giving this a very generous 3 stars. It’s always the reviews I don’t even want to write that end up being stupidly long. 😅
The FMC tries to orchestrate an encounter between herself and the prince by lurking outside of an event that is only for the fae. The crown prince finds her instead but so does another fae male who attacks her because she’s human. The older prince protects her, but since she broke the rules they decide to send her away to her “family.” She is an orphan at this point and both her parents have been dead for a while, but I’m supposed to believe she has all this family she has never met? They teach her self defense and basically torture her to make her strong and then send her back to the castle a few years later. She thinks they do all this because she was attacked but you’d think she’d at least question the torture or the fact that they send her back, but no, not our FMC. She questions nothing. (They are rebels).
The crown prince is of course the responsible one who has been trying to protect his brother from their angry and abusive father since their mother died. He decides that it’s time for his brother to grow up and when his father decides the younger prince must marry the princess of another kingdom, the crown prince is fully on board. This also bothered me, because the older prince mentioned on several occasion that he wanted to wait for his mate, but he acts like his younger brother is a brat for not accepting an arranged marriage. Seems hypocritical.
The FMC and the younger prince finally bump into each other again and start spending time together. There are rules against human and fae relationships and he is meant to marry the fae princess so they try to keep their relationship secret but they are of course discovered. He gets beaten by his dad and then accepts his fate and they break it off after only a kiss. This is where the FMC gets really annoying because she says stuff like “he’s my best friend” when he literally ignored her for years and they don’t even know each other as adults. She keeps pining over him and acting exceedingly delulu.
Then one night the bad fae guy finds her again and attacks her and she manages to kill him. It’s self defense but she’s brought before the king who decides to make an example of her and have her killed. She expects her prince to stand up for her. He says nothing, but of course, the crown prince with the savior complex decides to save her by saying that she is his fiancé. Now this my friends, makes zero sense. There is literally no way this would get her out of trouble with this particular king. He would absolutely want to have a say in who the future ruler of his kingdom married and again, there are rules preventing humans and fae from dating. The author just expects us to believe that the prince is like, I’ll explain later dad and the king just accepts that? Not a chance. Especially after she literally passes out when he makes this pronouncement. Then basically everyone including the king knows it’s a sham but they decide to go through with it for various reasons, some of which make more sense than others.
At this point in the plot, I started to enjoy it a little more. I maybe just accepted that it was a super cheesy book with a silly plot and just went with it. I will say that most of the characters including the side characters were very likable and well developed. Our FMC got less annoying when she stopped pining for the other prince but she still wasn’t my favorite. I especially enjoyed the relationship between the crown prince and his best friend. They had great banter and camaraderie which felt realistic and warm.
If the mood strikes, maybe I’ll even read book two. I do really wish the author would have workshopped the first 1/3 of this book more. I also think she relied heavily on other similar fae books. She really did not do much world building or explain the magic system at all. It kind of felt like she just assumed she didn’t have to because her readers would just make assumptions based on their existing knowledge from other books. This is honestly likely true, but it still felt a little lazy to me. The characters also kind of alluded to other races beyond human and fae without labeling them which felt a little sly to me. It almost felt like the author wanted to leave that door open so she could decide to add them in later if she felt like it.
Anyway, grudgingly giving this a very generous 3 stars. It’s always the reviews I don’t even want to write that end up being stupidly long. 😅
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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:
Yes
Wow… I swear I know this girl in real life. The FMC was a spot on depiction of women trying to make it in comedy. Key word there is “trying” because it’s extremely difficult to break into the industry. I can also confirm that they are indeed ALWAYS doing a bit. They literally cannot help themselves. I actually really enjoyed this. The banter between the two main characters was well written and got more than a few chuckles from me. The author got her inspiration for this book from the movie “When Harry Met Sally” and I genuinely loved reading the authors note that was included at the end of the book. It’s always fun to get inside an authors brain but I personally felt a lot more connected to the story after reading her thoughts and intentions for the book. I thought it was pretty interesting to pair the idea of “fate” with these two very modern and cynical characters. Kind of makes you wonder how many of us are standing in the way of our own happiness in one way or another. I hope I will be ready to receive (and recognize) the good things when they come.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
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
Objectively, this was a great book and I will rate it accordingly, but somehow, I felt almost nothing. No real spark, no new favorite book tingles, and frankly I’m kind of at a loss to understand why. I think it might have something to do with the bleak history of the Vikings themselves. A culture based on raping and pillaging just doesn’t really appeal to me on the same level as let’s say Velaris or some other fantastical place.
This did remind me a great deal of the show Vikings. I felt similarly about the show, so maybe this particular subject matter just isn’t for me. Because of the magical elements, I think it’s fair to label this Fantasy, but to claim this as High Fantasy seems false. Historical Fantasy maybe? Is that a thing?
Despite my lack of personal excitement, this had all the elements of a great book, love, betrayal, strong FMC, well written, well developed magic system and storyline, etc. Do I still recommend this book? Absolutely. Will I read the next book in the series? Duh, FOMO is still a thing. 😂 I’m honestly pretty curious to see what Freya’s next move will be after that ending. In hindsight, all the clues were there, but I DID NOT see that twist coming. 😅
I am genuinely so happy for all of you out there that wholeheartedly loved this! The best feeling. ❤️ Wish it could have been me.
————————————————————————
Whelp😳 That plot twist really should not have shocked me like it did… gotta decompress.
————————————————————————
Here we go!! My expectations for this are through the roof. I’m almost afraid to read it. Please please please live up to the hype. 🙏🏻
This did remind me a great deal of the show Vikings. I felt similarly about the show, so maybe this particular subject matter just isn’t for me. Because of the magical elements, I think it’s fair to label this Fantasy, but to claim this as High Fantasy seems false. Historical Fantasy maybe? Is that a thing?
Despite my lack of personal excitement, this had all the elements of a great book, love, betrayal, strong FMC, well written, well developed magic system and storyline, etc. Do I still recommend this book? Absolutely. Will I read the next book in the series? Duh, FOMO is still a thing. 😂 I’m honestly pretty curious to see what Freya’s next move will be after that ending. In hindsight, all the clues were there, but I DID NOT see that twist coming. 😅
I am genuinely so happy for all of you out there that wholeheartedly loved this! The best feeling. ❤️ Wish it could have been me.
————————————————————————
Whelp😳 That plot twist really should not have shocked me like it did… gotta decompress.
————————————————————————
Here we go!! My expectations for this are through the roof. I’m almost afraid to read it. Please please please live up to the hype. 🙏🏻
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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 was such a cute and unique premise. Can’t go wrong with the roommates/forced proximity trope. 🤍 I aspire to handle problems as calmly and rationally as our FMC, Chloe. I do worry a bit about Warren’s anger issues, punching walls is definitely a red flag but we’ll overlook that for now since it’s fiction. 🙃
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
With a few tweaks, this plot would have made an epic MaryKate & Ashley movie. 🤭 This wasn’t really my cup of tea, but I’m sure this will be a hit with K-Pop lovers and the YA demographic. It was pretty cheesy in my opinion but still cute. My biggest gripe was that the author kept calling them “idols.” This might be how they refer to stars in Korea, but it’s not how we typically describe them in the U.S., and our MC was supposed to be American.
The rationale for keeping their relationship a secret bothered me as well. Having a girlfriend isn’t a scandal and that angle seemed very dramatic and unrealistic. A better reasoning would be that he hates the spotlight and doesn’t want her to have to sacrifice her privacy or something along those lines. There are some YA books that I feel are for everyone, but in this case I would probably only really recommend this to high schoolers.
—————————————————————————
Pre Read: Mainly reading this because the title starts with “X.” Working on an A-Z reading challenge for 2024. 🤷🏼♀️😅
The rationale for keeping their relationship a secret bothered me as well. Having a girlfriend isn’t a scandal and that angle seemed very dramatic and unrealistic. A better reasoning would be that he hates the spotlight and doesn’t want her to have to sacrifice her privacy or something along those lines. There are some YA books that I feel are for everyone, but in this case I would probably only really recommend this to high schoolers.
—————————————————————————
Pre Read: Mainly reading this because the title starts with “X.” Working on an A-Z reading challenge for 2024. 🤷🏼♀️😅
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The plot of book three had a heaviness that I just wasn’t feeling. The entire cast spent most of the book moping around or repeating the tedious process of breaking seals which made for a drab read. I really enjoyed the first two books but this book made me realize that the supporting characters desperately lacked personality. Where is the camaraderie? Do they never joke or have fun? This story would have greatly benefited from some levity and comedic relief. When these characters die, I hardly care or remember who they were. And that plot twist was absolutely not welcome. I hated it and saw no reason for it to be included especially considering how quickly the characters glossed over it.
Also… is this a trilogy or not? That ending has me so confused. Maybe just hinting at a spin off series? Was that her or Gerarda? Of course I have these questions after I’ve already returned the book. 😅
Also… is this a trilogy or not? That ending has me so confused. Maybe just hinting at a spin off series? Was that her or Gerarda? Of course I have these questions after I’ve already returned the book. 😅
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 took several surprising turns and at times I could not tell quite where the story was headed. As a modern independent woman, some of her hopes and motivations were foreign to me and at times I felt Jane was a bit naive. I could not help but feel that she was lucky to not have encountered any less honorable men that might have taken advantage of her with less noble intentions.
When the death of an unknown relative granted her financial stability and independence, a large part of me felt that she would have been safer staying single. The conclusion made it clear that independence was not the true desire of her heart and with a description like the one that follows, I cannot deny that it seems she did make the right choice for herself. Perhaps the ability to make choices for yourself is true freedom.
“I have now been married ten years. I know what it is to live entirely for and with what I love best on earth. I hold myself supremely blest - blest beyond what language can express; because I am my husband's life as fully as he is mine. No woman was ever nearer to her mate than I am: ever more absolutely bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. I know no weariness of my Edward's society: he knows none of mine, any more than we each do the pulsation of the heart that beats in our separate bosoms; consequently, we are ever together. To be together is for us to be at once free as in solitude, as gay as in company. We talk, I believe, all day long: to talk to each other is but more animated and an audible thinking. All my confidence is bestowed on him, all his confidence is devoted to me; we are precisely suited in character - perfect concord is the result.”
—————————————————————————
Pre Read: I’m challenging myself to read a few classics this year. If nothing else I think it will be cathartic to FINALLY be able to remove them from my TBR. 😅 With any luck I’ll gain a few new favorites along the way.
When the death of an unknown relative granted her financial stability and independence, a large part of me felt that she would have been safer staying single. The conclusion made it clear that independence was not the true desire of her heart and with a description like the one that follows, I cannot deny that it seems she did make the right choice for herself. Perhaps the ability to make choices for yourself is true freedom.
“I have now been married ten years. I know what it is to live entirely for and with what I love best on earth. I hold myself supremely blest - blest beyond what language can express; because I am my husband's life as fully as he is mine. No woman was ever nearer to her mate than I am: ever more absolutely bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. I know no weariness of my Edward's society: he knows none of mine, any more than we each do the pulsation of the heart that beats in our separate bosoms; consequently, we are ever together. To be together is for us to be at once free as in solitude, as gay as in company. We talk, I believe, all day long: to talk to each other is but more animated and an audible thinking. All my confidence is bestowed on him, all his confidence is devoted to me; we are precisely suited in character - perfect concord is the result.”
—————————————————————————
Pre Read: I’m challenging myself to read a few classics this year. If nothing else I think it will be cathartic to FINALLY be able to remove them from my TBR. 😅 With any luck I’ll gain a few new favorites along the way.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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:
No
Let me start by saying that I absolutely loved Threads That Bind. It was a 5 star read for me and I thought, and still think, that this is one of the most original series I have read in a long time. The author borrows from Mythology, but she has managed to create a world that is all her own.
Unfortunately, in book two, this same originality initially left me feeling a little lost. It had not been long since I read book one, but I was in desperate need of a recap that the author really did not provide. It took me until about 35% in to feel like I had a grasp of the world (characters, magic system, locations, etc.) and how it worked. Because of this, it was difficult for me to really get into the story and the first 1/3 of the book moved along sluggishly.
After this point and once our characters began to reunite, the story picked up and I remembered again all the things that I loved about this series. My favorite aspect of this book is undeniably Io and Edei’s relationship. Their love is timid, but pure and sweet and I loved watching it develop.
I was a little dissatisfied by the ending. I felt like there was more story to tell and I would have at least liked an epilogue to see where our characters end up. The actions they took seemed risky and I would have liked to know that they had found happiness or at least to have been given some indication that they made the right choice.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, in book two, this same originality initially left me feeling a little lost. It had not been long since I read book one, but I was in desperate need of a recap that the author really did not provide. It took me until about 35% in to feel like I had a grasp of the world (characters, magic system, locations, etc.) and how it worked. Because of this, it was difficult for me to really get into the story and the first 1/3 of the book moved along sluggishly.
After this point and once our characters began to reunite, the story picked up and I remembered again all the things that I loved about this series. My favorite aspect of this book is undeniably Io and Edei’s relationship. Their love is timid, but pure and sweet and I loved watching it develop.
I was a little dissatisfied by the ending. I felt like there was more story to tell and I would have at least liked an epilogue to see where our characters end up. The actions they took seemed risky and I would have liked to know that they had found happiness or at least to have been given some indication that they made the right choice.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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
Such a sweet little meet cute! I would have loved to read a whole novel of these two cuties. If it were a full novel, she probably would have been mad and they would have fought and then eventually gotten together by the end. I’m not sorry to have missed out on the drama, but I think the tension would have been immaculate. At only 100 pages, you really have nothing to lose in picking this up. Looking forward to reading the other titles in this collection.