wendeedeedee36's reviews
253 reviews

Capitana by Cassandra James

3.0

I was very excited for this book based on the overview. Pirates, rivals to lovers, political intrigue, and the potential for a revolution? Sign me up! Unfortunately, it did not quite live up to my expectations. It definitely had the exciting adventure and the political intrigue I had hoped for. It wasn’t groundbreaking in the plot, but I really did enjoy it. I like the idea of a pirate rebellion and am definitely interested in seeing how that takes off in the second book.

Where I felt underwhelmed was in Ximena herself. Ximena’s growth as a character/person is flat, and she continually flip flops back to her blind faith in the Law. Then suddenly at 90% it was like a switch was flipped out of nowhere. I do understand the idea that she’s been groomed from a young age, and that can account for it to some extent, but mostly she just continued making terrible choices for the sake of burying her head in the sand. 

Similarly, the romantic tension was almost non-existent for a book marketed as a romantasy. Ximena and Dante had no chemistry, and it never seemed to develop. It felt like it came out of left field when Dante made it obvious he liked her early on, given he was rather awful to her most of the time. And while his actions more or less showed his intentions from that point on, Ximena never really reciprocated. I’m not saying a book needs romance to be good, but if you’re going to include it, at least make sure you do it with the proper buildup. 

Overall, this story had great potential and I think the concept is interesting; the execution just fell a little short. That said, I will be finishing the duology when book 2 is released.

The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith

5.0

This book is a very interesting dichotomy of cute & cozy and surprisingly dark & epic. I can absolutely see where it’s likened to The Cruel Prince. It has very similar vibes. Ivy is a really fun FMC. I loved her stubbornness and that fact that she is very self aware of her flaws. She knows she is a bit coddled and unprepared for the world. I LOVED the chapters from other POVs and the glimpses they gave into everyone else’s backstory. 
I will admit I had suspicions at the beginning of the book, but as the went on I was convinced myself there wasn’t some ulterior motive….only to be proven complete wrong in the last few chapters! 😆 It’s the kind of book I look forward to eventually rereading and trying to see if I spot any clues I missed the first time around.

Fate of the Sun King by Nisha J. Tuli

5.0

This book has all the drama and the ending has me in a chokehold! Thank goodness Tale of the Heart Queen is already out because I am starting it immediately. As with RofAK, I loved the chapters that took us back into history. I found them fascinating and enlightening, while also still keeping me questioning what the heck actually happened. 
Lor and Nadir’s dynamic was interesting and the slow burn finally paid off! I don’t always love the fated mates trope because I feel it’s used to sweep relationship development under the rug. Lor & Nadir do that a little bit, but it wasn’t extreme or off putting. I still love both Mael and Gabriel and I LOVED Gabriel’s POV. I want him to have good things happen for him. 
I’m excited for the finale and cannot wait to find out what all actually happened in the past.

Every Dark Shadow by Sarah Zimm

4.0

This is a really interesting story. I like the Gothic/epic fantasy vibes that you get out of it. It’s a little disorienting because you’re dealing with hidden memories, and you’re basically getting the information as Ophelia does, which means you only have little bits and pieces of the story as it progresses. It’s a very unique style. I will admit it was kind of hard for me to feel like I was getting everything listening to this rather than reading. I kept feeling like I was missing something, and would fixate on trying to remember if I just missed it earlier in the book. Please don’t take that as a sign this audiobook wasn’t good though. Shannon Parker Taing did a great job bringing these characters to life! I really enjoyed her style and voice. My brain just needed the visual tracking because the plot is very intricate. 
I enjoyed learning the backgrounds of the keepers. I think they each a very interesting stories and personalities that will be fun to hopefully explore further. 
At the end of this book, I still have so many questions and so many things I need to know, and I am very eager to see what comes next! I will also likely listen to this again to see if I pick up more hidden details on the second round.

Rule of the Aurora King by Nisha J. Tuli

4.75

This series continues to captivate me! This book almost felt like starting another series, in the best way. Think Throne of Glass → Crown of Midnight. Same series, different vibes and focuses, yet decidedly connected. I was all for it! As good, we get more of Nadir and his story this time around. I feel his relationship with Lor miiiiight be a bit toxic, but I have hope they will grow and develop to be better. 
I LOVED the chapters that showed us the past, but Serce was a power hungry piece of work, am I right? Complain all you want about the Aurora King, but she also wanted to be a conqueror of all. She also struck me as a petulant, spoiled child. I’m a little sad that Wolfe seems to just go along with whatever she wants because she’s his mate and he loves her. As always, I’m going straight into book 3 ❤️‍🔥

Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J. Tuli

5.0

This book wins for the best first line ever! It definitely got me hooked from the start. Lor is a really fun FMC. She’s tough and a little chaotic, yet her bold personality is also a good mask for the fact that she’s vulnerable. She’s had a really shitty upbringing that’s made her the way she is, and she’s fiercely protective of the few people she has last to love. Her quick temper is a bit of a problem for her at times, but overall I think it adds to her strength to defend herself. 
I love me a nice set of deadly trials and the Sun Queen Trials did not disappoint. We even had the petty competitors to add to the drama. Gabriel is a very intriguing character and I would very much like to learn more of him as the series continues. I’m also incredibly curious about the identity of the male he was with during the ball . Maybe we will never find out, but it seemed to me that his identity was pointedly hidden. 
Atlas was an interesting character. I couldn’t quite reconcile myself with the side of him we saw, given he seemed pretty okay with the trials having happened more than once and young women dying. Plus it was mentioned he put the contestants in compromising situations in the past, which didn’t seem to fit with the tender face he presented most of the time. 
Nadir is obviously going to play a large part in the series at some point since we get his POV, but we mostly only get glimpses of him in this book. I look forward to seeing his role as the story continues. 
All in all, an awesome start to a series and I am immediately jumping into book 2. 

Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken

3.75

So many feelings after this book! The ending was a whirlwind of disappointment, betrayal, sisterhood, surprise, and a hint of hope. I’m definitely interested in reading The Mirror of Beasts now and I admit I wasn’t sure I was going to be. I’m not as used to YA stories anymore and following a younger FMC was a little rough. Tamsin grew on me for the most part, but man teens are tough 😆 The mystery of the plot was really intriguing though and I never managed to guess anything before it happened. I’m excited to see where this goes, and simultaneously glad it is a biology and not a longer series because I’m not sure how much I will like what will likely be an urban fantasy in Mirror of Beasts. I realize this all sounds like a negative review but it really isn’t. I liked this book and what I discussed above is why I’m surprised by how much I liked it. So yea, I recommend it even if it isn’t your normal genre. 

Kingdom of Claw by Demi Winters

5.0

I love this series! It’s somehow dark yet uplifting. I love the Vikings vibes and the crazy creatures lurking in the wild. This is also one of those semi-rare occasions where the sequel somehow manages to outdo the first book….and I REALLY like The Road of Bones. I think Kingdom of Claw does a great job of showcasing Silla’s timidity (which is refreshingly rare in fantasy), but also her determination to help and protect those she cares about. She has so much growth in the book physically, mentally, and emotionally, and I absolutely loved it. Throw in her chemistry with Rey and all their delicious tension and you have a recipe for greatness. Yet, that’s only half the plot in Kingdom of Claws. This book also brings us Saga’s POV and what she has been living through as a “ward” in Sunnavik. Her story is so incredibly unique. Much like with Silla, Demi Winter’s portrays Saga as softer than the standard “badass FMC” you usually see. Yet these characters are strong in their own ways, and I find I really like this deviation from the norm. Saga deals with the daily life of being a glorified prisoner while also managing her agoraphobia, thus making escape difficult. In spite of that, she’s stubborn and curious and takes chances to try to help her sister. Her relationship with Rurik is fun and a bit mysterious. I very much hope to get snippets of his POV in the following book(s). Which brings me to my final point: that ending!…I’m dead. I need more asap. How am I supposed to survive until book 3?! 

P.S. ~ Jonas is a kunta 

North Is the Night by Emily Rath

4.0

I have such mixed feelings about this story. I think it was really interesting and I LOVE that it was inspired by Finnish folklore. It’s such a unique topic and definitely under appreciated. That said, most people are not as familiar with the old Finnish gods and therefore those can be A LOT of information, and similar sounding names, to take in. It’s me. I’m most people. I really liked having the glossaries at the beginning to refer to for this reason, and again, found it really interesting. 

Siiri was a really fun character! I liked her strength of spirit and devotion to Ainna. Her story/chapters really caught my attention and had me eager for more. I loved her relationship with Väinämöinen, and his backstory as well. 

Ainna was a little tough for me, and where the mixed feelings came in. I was probably most invested in her story because I’m a sucker for “he falls first” type love stories and was therefore very drawn to Tuoni…but I don’t think I was supposed to be? I’m pretty sure that relationship is a little toxic - and slightly instalove - but damn if I wasn’t wanting more. This naturally, made the ending a little hard for me, although I think it was very sweet and poetic in its own way. I’m not sure I would label this as quite a sapphic romance so much as a tale of friendship, love, and devotion. That doesn’t mean I don’t think it was romantic, because it absolutely was. Ainna really says it best:

“You have my heart, Tuoni . . . but Siiri has my soul.”

Khaya Fraites does a really good job with the narration. As someone who has studied Finnish in the past, I can say the pronunciation is really tough, and I think Khaya does well and makes it sound very smooth/natural. She also did a good job making characters sound fairly distinct, and she did especially well with emotions and voicing the tones of the story. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the story. I cannot say I’m quite eager for a sequel, but I also cannot say I wouldn’t read it. 

The Legend of Meneka by Kritika H. Rao

3.5

The Legend of Meneka is a fun retelling of Hindu mythology. I am not as familiar with that topic and there is a lot of information to take in, but they also give you a glossary, which was incredibly helpful. It’s a great story about finding the magic within yourself and I think it made a lot of great statements. The found family aspect with the friends Meneka makes at the hermitage was really nice and I enjoyed those charactets a lot. Meneka herself was a very good FMC for the story. She was stubborn and self assured, but also open minded enough to realize she should be questioning certain things she has been taught to believe. Kaushika was an odd character for me. He was a little stiff and I wish we could have gotten to delve into his character and growth more. I also don’t feel like we quite got the romance I would expect from a book listed as Romantasy, but that might just be a personal opinion.
I really wanted to like this book more than I did, but it ultimately fell a little short for me. It wasn’t bad, and I would absolutely recommend people read it; it just wasn’t quite my thing. The prose was a little too flowery and descriptive for me. It felt like it took a long time for the plot to actually pick up. I will say, it got much more interesting about halfway through, which is why I bumped this up to a 3.5 rating. I have high hopes that the sequel will have more action and romance.