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yourbookishbff's reviews
450 reviews
Butterfly Swords by Jeannie Lin
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-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? Yes
3.5
I love Jeannie Lin's prose and scene-setting, and thoroughly enjoyed the political machinations of her Tang Dynasty backdrop. The romance, however, just left me a bit bored. There was a lot of wandering - literally - for the majority of the book, and it felt aimless at several points. I have already started the next book in the series, though, because the characters who return as main characters in book two are so promising. Looking forward to reading more of the Tang Dynasty series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death and Murder
Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover by Sarah MacLean
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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
5.0
Perfect. I loved everything about this. I don't really know what else to say, but this capped off a phenomenal series, I adored our two MCs and felt the appropriate range of rage and sadness and righteous indignation, and I loved every second of it.
ALSO DO NOT READ OUT OF ORDER. This hits SO GOOD when read in order as the final book in the series, and it hits even better if you've read the series before. I've never been so delighted by a character arc in a historical romance series, I promise it's worth it.
ALSO DO NOT READ OUT OF ORDER. This hits SO GOOD when read in order as the final book in the series, and it hits even better if you've read the series before. I've never been so delighted by a character arc in a historical romance series, I promise it's worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexual content
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Rape, Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Child death
SA, rape, child death, child abuse and death of parent all appear in the male main character's backstory - it is not graphic or gratuitous.
Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
adventurous
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I have no way to rate this book. It is deeply nostalgic for me - a series I read initially in middle school and inspired my childhood love for sci-fi and fantasy - and also very much of its time. McCaffrey is the mother of modern-day fantasy romance dragon lore and should get credit for it! It was fascinating to reread and see where she is pushing the boundaries for female characters - and where even these moments still fall short for a modern reader. New readers should check content warnings before going in, and expect vintage 60s sci-fi dragons with a touch of bodice-ripper.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Classism
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape and Sexual content
Sexual encounters between the main characters are largely described as "dragon-roused" and nonconsensual. The male main character explicitly describes their sex as rape at one point in the narrative, suggesting she was not "warming up" to him. It is important to note that all sex scenes are implied and entirely closed door so there is NO graphic sexual assault on page (I wouldn't even call this fade-to-black, there is no explicit sex or intimacy beyond kissing on page). The alpha male and tempestuous/feisty female locked together by convenience who must grow to like each other is the foundation for the bodice rippers that would come in following decades and will feel familiar to readers of old-school romance.
And a note on fatphobia: consistent with other books of this time period, fat characters are consistently described as either villainous or lazy/slovenly/etc. And there is a LOT of emphasis on the female main character being thin/small.
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri builds a dark and almost claustrophobic fantasy world, set in an alt-India with central conflicts that are largely inspired by South Asian history and a deeply spiritual and elemental magic system. We have all the usual forces at work - an evil emperor, a slow-boiling revolution, and a colonized nation fighting for survival. While the action in this story is confined almost entirely to the shifting walls of an ancient and mysterious temple as our political coup takes shape, this tight focus is counterbalanced with rapidly rotating POVs through a large cast of characters.
At the center of our story, we have three primary female characters - Malini, Priya, and Bhumika - each navigating trauma and their own fight for agency and freedom. Suri develops complex, morally gray women, and Malini, the exiled sister of the emperor, and Priya and Bhumika, former temple children, each challenge the traditional roles often cast for women in fantasy. Malini is openly manipulative and ruthlessly seeks power and agency, while Priya explores the potentially monstrous aspects of her own power and the paths available to her people in their fight for liberation. And while Malini and Priya circle each other for the majority of the story, Bhumika, a side character with main character energy, observes from the shadows, building an army of loyal followers while she works around and against her husband and the empire he serves. At each turn, our female main characters outmaneuver the power-wielding men in their lives, at times in partnership and at times in opposition, but always to advance their own goals.
This is epic fantasy perfect for readers who love She Who Became the Sun, by Shelley Parker-Chan, and not only for its strong sapphic romance arc (which is, of course, excellent). This, like She Who Became the Sun, explores the moral sacrifices people make for power, the bloody history of empire and the magic inherent to our world and its ghosts. I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death, Grief, Classism, Misogyny, Child death, Colonisation, Blood, Xenophobia, Violence, Murder, and Child abuse
Moderate: Medical content, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, and War
No Good Duke Goes Unpunished by Sarah MacLean
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Justice for Mara! This is clearly a divisive MacLean, and there are moments I was genuinely stressed that we might make a misstep in a very risky storyline, but I should have trusted. The backstory is harsh for our female main character - she leaves the male main character with the blame for her supposed murder (for a decade), and, tangentially, drugs him... twice. We see these kinds of redemption arcs a lot in historical romance, but almost always for a male main character. To position a female main character as the architect of her own escape, as the one to take advantage of an innocent bystander (a la St. Vincent in It Happens One Autumn), is a risky subversion for the sub-genre actually. There is one element of this backstory that was particularly tough for me - his lack of memory of the night and her unwillingness to divulge - and this may be (understandably!) very triggering for some readers.
That said, MacLean is navigating a lot of power imbalance - he is the progeny of a Duke and a landed aristocrat, no matter his reputation, and he is physically capable of (and notorious for) intimidation and harm (which is important to note when we consider their reunion). She was forced into marriage at 16 to a man three times her age, has significant childhood trauma, and is forced to rebuild her life with no advantages of station, wealth, gender, etc.
Ultimately, MacLean pulls off the character arcs I needed to make this one work, and it will be one of my more memorable of her backlist, I know. It also has the most stunning epilogue to ever epilogue and has given me one of the most satisfying moments I have ever had while reading. This is a series that absolutely MUST be read in order!
That said, MacLean is navigating a lot of power imbalance - he is the progeny of a Duke and a landed aristocrat, no matter his reputation, and he is physically capable of (and notorious for) intimidation and harm (which is important to note when we consider their reunion). She was forced into marriage at 16 to a man three times her age, has significant childhood trauma, and is forced to rebuild her life with no advantages of station, wealth, gender, etc.
Ultimately, MacLean pulls off the character arcs I needed to make this one work, and it will be one of my more memorable of her backlist, I know. It also has the most stunning epilogue to ever epilogue and has given me one of the most satisfying moments I have ever had while reading. This is a series that absolutely MUST be read in order!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual content, and Blood
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, and Drug use
Minor: Sexual assault
note on sexual assault: attempted sexual assault of the FMC depicted on page (MMC saves her from attack by strangers)
One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah MacLean
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Pippa and Cross come together, and this made use of some all-time favorite romance moments for me, including he-comes-from-giving-her-pleasure, sex lessons (ish), ruination (ish), and MMC has a secret, tortured past and is masquerading as a Fake Rake. This one won't be the MOST memorable of the series for me, but I enjoyed it start-to-finish. It also has a fantastic grand gesture (by the female main character).
Side note, not overtly spoilery: I am retroactively angry at Penelope for failing Pippa as an older sister. Tell your sister how sex works, or give the girl some erotica like a responsible older sister in HR!
Side note, not overtly spoilery: I am retroactively angry at Penelope for failing Pippa as an older sister. Tell your sister how sex works, or give the girl some erotica like a responsible older sister in HR!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol
A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was big mad at our male main character for a large part of this story! I do generally struggle with Beauty and the Beast retellings, because I'm a grudge-holder and beastly types are often hard for me to forgive, so it's saying a lot that I got there in the end and found the resolution to be both authentic and deeply romantic. Penelope's pain throughout was tough for me, though, because gosh she had already BEEN THROUGH IT in the last series, and I wanted her to have assurance of her value and agency earlier in this story. There are lovely epistolary elements to this that helped develop the childhood friendship for our main couple without using flashbacks or a dual timeline, and I LOVED these inclusions (even when they just spiraled me deeper into my anger at times!). I'm thoroughly enjoying the emotional journey I take in MacLean's romances, and I'm loving the gaming hell premise for this series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment and Violence
Minor: Grief and Death of parent
The Bound Worlds by Megan E. O'Keefe
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a dread-inducing, prolonged anxiety spiral of a trilogy conclusion. The conflict expands fairly quickly in the start of this installment, as we are faced with a new challenge in the fight against cannus, and this conflict reshapes the world as we know it (again!). Where this installment shines is in its primary romance between Tarquin and Naira. It's complicated and tense, and we are forced to grapple with all new dimensions in their power imbalance and backgrounds. In this conclusion to their story, they each have to navigate how to be a person the other will be able to love and respect despite the horrific, universe-altering decisions they each will need to make.
There is so much that feels pitch-perfect in this - the character studies, the alternating POVs, the reflections on sacrifice, redemption and freewill. The one challenge I have at the conclusion, though, is a feeling we lost the plot somewhere in the primary conflict. I'm left still fairly confused about how key issues resolved (did they resolve at all, actually?) and wish the conflict had been carried through more evenly. Our focus expanded and contracted a LOT in this, and it felt a bit disconnected from the first two books' central story arcs. That said, this trilogy is really strong, and I highly recommend it to SFF readers who love a compelling primary romance and character-driven conflict.
There is so much that feels pitch-perfect in this - the character studies, the alternating POVs, the reflections on sacrifice, redemption and freewill. The one challenge I have at the conclusion, though, is a feeling we lost the plot somewhere in the primary conflict. I'm left still fairly confused about how key issues resolved (did they resolve at all, actually?) and wish the conflict had been carried through more evenly. Our focus expanded and contracted a LOT in this, and it felt a bit disconnected from the first two books' central story arcs. That said, this trilogy is really strong, and I highly recommend it to SFF readers who love a compelling primary romance and character-driven conflict.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Suicide, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
My Beautiful Enemy by Sherry Thomas
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
5.0
This was a reread for me, and, again, a five-star reading experience. Sherry Thomas excels in using dual timeline/time slips to slowly reveal character backstory and heighten the suspense, and this dual timeline is particularly devastating. This story of two unlikely people brought together by circumstance is explicitly a fated romance, and with its lightly fantastical wuxia elements and chi-based magic, the world feels soft around the edges in a way that fits such a sweeping story of star-crossed spies and unearthly villains. This hits so many of my favorite beats - second-chance romance, hidden identity, on-page declarations of fidelity, and the list goes on (and on). I highly recommend reading both installments in this duology, and honestly they can be read in any order (The Hidden Blade is a prequel to this story and shows our two characters as they grow up and their paths begin to merge). Please note content warnings on this one - I have included additional detail for one potentially triggering scene.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Gun violence, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity
Child death: there is on-page infant death. It is alluded to from the very start of the book, so it is less a reveal and more a flashback of events. The baby's death is at the hands of our supernaturally powerful villain, and is not realistic or likely (as a parent, this made it far less triggering for me than death-while-sleeping, death due to an accident, death due to illness, etc.). It is tragic, but I personally feel that it is not gratuitously so. For some readers, though, this is understandably a topic they will avoid entirely, and I want to note it here for that reason!
The Bootleggers Bounty by Adriana Herrera
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This is rum-running erotica and I loved it. I'll be taking no further questions at this time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Sexual violence
Sexual violence: threats of sexual violence to the female main character (her brother shows sexual interest in her - he is not able to deliver on these threats, but they may still be triggering to some readers).