Scan barcode
wynonnar's reviews
233 reviews
Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
3.0
3.5 stars it was just insanely slow in the beginning, once the plot picked up and the twists started twisting it was really great.
Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin
1.0
1 star
I finished this book entirely out of spite.
I should have DNF'd this book 30% of the way through it when I couldn't care about any of the characters. My biggest struggle through this novel is all of the progress and character progression we got out of Serpent and Dove was gone in this second book.
Reid is enraging, he seems to only care about Lou when the book wants him to fit the narrative of the protective husband, any other time he is disgusted with her like he was when he first married her in Serpent and Dove and that was infuriating. It seemed like their romance was supposed to be a large part of the plot but there was nothing romantic about their relationship, he was mean and Lou was immature and annoying. No actually, Reid was just as immature and annoying as Lou was because as he knows he has magic and could protect everyone with his magic he chooses to be disgusted with not only this wife he said he loved at the end of Serpent and Dove but also himself, and I know it's supposed to be because he has been raised to hate witches but he literally does not have any character progression until the last 10% of the book and by then, it's too damn late. The pacing of this entire series is also insanely frustrating the first 70% of both books were just so boring, no characters are interesting enough to keep you enthralled, there are no big emotional moments (minus the one with Ansel and Coco) to make you care, and there is nothing happening in the plot. They were traveling with no progression through the vast majority of the book. It's like a video game where you just have to keep going back and forth to make any progress at all.
The writing style is also really weird, somehow not YA, too immature to be NA, and the author seems to still be coming into who they are as a writer. This book was just frustrating all the way through, not to mention utterly forgettable.
I finished this book entirely out of spite.
I should have DNF'd this book 30% of the way through it when I couldn't care about any of the characters. My biggest struggle through this novel is all of the progress and character progression we got out of Serpent and Dove was gone in this second book.
Reid is enraging, he seems to only care about Lou when the book wants him to fit the narrative of the protective husband, any other time he is disgusted with her like he was when he first married her in Serpent and Dove and that was infuriating. It seemed like their romance was supposed to be a large part of the plot but there was nothing romantic about their relationship, he was mean and Lou was immature and annoying. No actually, Reid was just as immature and annoying as Lou was because as he knows he has magic and could protect everyone with his magic he chooses to be disgusted with not only this wife he said he loved at the end of Serpent and Dove but also himself, and I know it's supposed to be because he has been raised to hate witches but he literally does not have any character progression until the last 10% of the book and by then, it's too damn late. The pacing of this entire series is also insanely frustrating the first 70% of both books were just so boring, no characters are interesting enough to keep you enthralled, there are no big emotional moments (minus the one with Ansel and Coco) to make you care, and there is nothing happening in the plot. They were traveling with no progression through the vast majority of the book. It's like a video game where you just have to keep going back and forth to make any progress at all.
The writing style is also really weird, somehow not YA, too immature to be NA, and the author seems to still be coming into who they are as a writer. This book was just frustrating all the way through, not to mention utterly forgettable.
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
4.0
3.5-3.75 stars I can't decide
I really loved the ending and seeing the growth that Nesta had throughout this book. I was hesitant to read it because I wasn't connected to Nesta as a character but I'm glad I did because her growth is the best thing about this book. Of course her and Cassian had some frustrating moments that really grinded my gears, my brain was screaming "just fucking tell each other how you feel!". Mostly to Cassian because while he did make a show of being this strong masculine man he's shown throughout the series how emotionally intelligent and available he really is so it was frustrating to see him kind of bow away from that. Nesta however it was within her character to balk (a word SJM uses a lot) at closeness and emotional availability.
The things I didn't enjoy, Amren and Nesta's friendship falling apart because Amren was always willing to fight for Nesta even when she was being a shit and I missed their banter and love for each other. I didn't enjoy not getting to know more about Elain though I imagine that's coming. I also didn't enjoy the lack of understanding we get about Nesta's powers at the end. Her powers and how to work them was such a huge plot point so it's frustrating we didn't get even a small glimpse of the change. And I wish it would have given us the Happily Ever After of Cassian and Nesta's ceremony.
I really loved the ending and seeing the growth that Nesta had throughout this book. I was hesitant to read it because I wasn't connected to Nesta as a character but I'm glad I did because her growth is the best thing about this book. Of course her and Cassian had some frustrating moments that really grinded my gears, my brain was screaming "just fucking tell each other how you feel!". Mostly to Cassian because while he did make a show of being this strong masculine man he's shown throughout the series how emotionally intelligent and available he really is so it was frustrating to see him kind of bow away from that. Nesta however it was within her character to balk (a word SJM uses a lot) at closeness and emotional availability.
The things I didn't enjoy, Amren and Nesta's friendship falling apart because Amren was always willing to fight for Nesta even when she was being a shit and I missed their banter and love for each other. I didn't enjoy not getting to know more about Elain though I imagine that's coming. I also didn't enjoy the lack of understanding we get about Nesta's powers at the end. Her powers and how to work them was such a huge plot point so it's frustrating we didn't get even a small glimpse of the change. And I wish it would have given us the Happily Ever After of Cassian and Nesta's ceremony.
The Risk by S.T. Abby
5.0
Oh my god, enthralled from the first page. This is so good I can't, it's like Dexter but with some spice. I'm obsessed with Lana and Logan. The ending, the ending! Also these are short and so quick to get through.
Sidetracked by S.T. Abby
5.0
This book keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. They are short and fast paced. The beauty of this writing style is there is no fluff, straight action or action
Paint It All Red by S.T. Abby
5.0
I loved every moment of this series, it was soul crushing, anxiety inducing, heartwarming, it was all of the words you love to hear when reading a book.