bookaroundandfindout's reviews
162 reviews

This was such an amazing book! The theme of magical realism, time travel, parallel universes, mystery and romance were so seamlessly integrated into this novel. I grew up in NC so being able to have the visual in my mind of the Blue Ridge mountains made the story even richer. June is a fascinating character and the what if parts of this novel really make you think about how alternate realities could be from your current one. If you like sci fi and magic wrapped in exquisite writing I highly recommend you read this.

This is the first time I’ve rated a book a three because normally, I’m on the money for the books I select to check out. But this book was a mashed up mess of a murder mystery, smut, and a “morally grey” MC? If he tells me one more time that he saves the weak and respects them and then goes and stalks and essentially assaults our FMC I am literally gunna scream. Like this is a pretty effed-up book but not even in a good way it was just…hilariously bad. I’m still gunna read the second one maybe there will be some redemption but .. booktok really failed me on this one.

Oh my god the sexual tension was excellent in here!! And the story line. This isn’t my favorite badass FMC but she’s really earning my respect over here. We have a girl who was raised in privilege being thrown into the lowest of the low and dangerous jails. Will she rise above it stronger or crumble?

Our FMC is so broody that I’d be freaked out if he ever was nice in any of this series. The sexual tension is magnificent, in a way that makes us readers feels like so much has happened yet nothing has and we are yearning for more when the book abruptly ends on a cliffhanger which left me running to read the next book immediately after.

100% read if you line book of azrael, divine rivals, any SJM.

AMAZING!! The is the second book in this series and if you like spice and fight and the tug of angsty lust look no further. We can also throw in an actually storyline that makes you curious while you’re being tortured with the sexual tension.
The storyline keeps getting better and better. I will say some of the langage is a little repetitive, we don’t need to know ever five mins that Brexely is “changed” since she endured the worst jail of all the lands like…we know. We read the first book lol.

That being said, there’s a lot of moving pieces on this board with war, magic, time travel maybe? Lust, so much lust dead lord- and maybe there will be a romance ??

I’m very excited to burn through the rest of the series.

And the plot thickens with Brex. No lie this was such a crazy book, though some of the repetitive writing still remains. What makes up for it is the spice of Warwick- I still need to know his whole past I am so curious.

I do think some of the writing is a little forced, like the random conversations about people eyeing each other it’s not done very elegantly.

But overall I’m so ready for the next book in the series. I hope we get some real answers and get back into the plot because it’s all over the place right now.

Divine rivals was quite a unique way of entering the fantasy realm without being a Fae or a Goddess or anything remotely magical (that we know of now). Our two main characters give enemies to lover vibes, even though it is slow going. I honestly read this almost more like a thriller and was impressed by the ending, which makes me want to read the second book eagerly. This is a 1/5 spice level but the slow burn romance reads like a, adult Disney movie so that's a 5/5 for me because it made me swoon.

Great read for:
-Those dipping their toes into fantasy
-Enemies to lovers
-Slow burn romance
-Thriller/mystery vibes without the scary scary parts.
-Two point of views for MC's

Iris Lake is BRILLIANT. Every single sentence she writes is a beautiful song to my soul. This book was written with so much complexity and plot lines of a lot of main characters that somehow find their desires aligned. The multiple perspectives were impressive because they were so unique. Each character fights their own battles within and you can see the perspective of all of them in how they interact with each other and themselves.

The storyline itself follows Neira finally training her powers, but with the agony of being so near to Orion, who won’t tell her what he knows, why they can’t be together. But why are their feelings burning up for each other? And we still have Zephyr trying to dismantle the Fae Royalty, but at what cost? Riona displays some spectacular magic and the chemistry forming between different characters leaves you feeling on edge for what is to come, without a lot of spice either. That, to me, displays how brilliant the writing is that I don’t even need the spice scenes to have my heart pounding.

There are some secrets revealed at the end with a cliffhanger and needless to say I’m anxiously awaiting the next book!!!

Oh. My. Goodness. This book was INSANE. Leave it up to SK to mess me up without even being that horrifying. This book focuses so much on duality and the meaning of Misery. As a verb, as a noun, as a passage of time and transformation. On one hand we feel like our MC Paul is in over his head, but on the other hand in the face of such terror and horrid circumstances, he faces it with such resilience at then end. But to what cost in the long haul?

Annie Wilkes character was not exactly what I thought she would be. Initially she appears as a possible kind but mentally ill woman who maybe misses the mark on what the right thing to do is, but as we go on with the book we learn that she’s really…smart. Like Bundy smart. And in that realization a sense of helplessness hits the reader too.

Highly recommend especially if you want to read something out of pocket that has you thinking so much from a literary sense as well.