booksalacarte's reviews
659 reviews

Dungeons and Drama 4.5⭐️ 1.5🌶️

Young Adult contemporary romance

16yo FMC

Theatre kid

Divorced parents

Fake dating

Opposites attract

Coworker romance
Clean romance

This was a very cute YA romance following two high schoolers, one a theatre geek and the other a gamer. This unlikely pair see sparks fly when the FMC had to work in her dad’s gaming score as punishment for taking her mom’s car for a joyride without being licensed! 

The cover makes me think it was a YA contemporary fantasy book instead of just a YA Romance. But it’s a cute cover!

I loved that this was an Ohio setting, since I am from central Ohio. I’m also a theatre nerd! So really this book was right ip my alley. 

The pop culture references of Broadway original casts, movie quotes and song lyrics can easily date a book, pigeon holing it into a very specific timeframe. I’m not quite a fan of that, but the references were so well done, I can’t be annoyed.

Some of the topics covered are the hard work and preparation that goes into performing. There was really good flushing out of a child of divorced parents and what that can be like. The book even touched on what toxic crushes can look like. This is an easy recommendation for any high schooler. Bonus if they are a theatre nerd or gamer/D&D geek! 

Thank you NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the Advanced eReader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion

Powerless- 3.5⭐️ 2🌶️

New Adult Fantasy Romance

First person

Unique magic system

Prince MMC

Rebellion

Treason

Trials/competition

Murder

Secrets

Slow burn

Banter

Tw: Genocide, grief

The premise of the society built on survivors of a plague who developed magical abilities is pretty intriguing. It’s a very unique magic system set up… but there are so many different magic powers that it seems like there is no rhyme or reason to them. There is just a lot of them. Offensive, defensive. Put in whenever the plot needs something explained away, oh look, a new power we have never heard of.

The dialogue is VERY unrealistic and stilted. Because of the dual narration, the overlap caused so much repetition but from the opposite main character that if the author had cut it, the book would have been FAR shorter. Like half the size.

The MMC being a complicit in the genocide of people without powers is pretty icky. If he is the future enforcer, where is the current one? 

This rare material that was invented “By means far too complicated for me to understand” that prevents people from using their powers… that felt a little like a cop out explanation.

First read (6/2022)- 3⭐️

Reread (1/2024)-4.5⭐️2.75🌶️

New Adult fantasy romance

Multi POV

Magic

Magical beasts

Fae

Morally grey FMC

Found family

Secret history

Politics

Treason

Rebellion

Closed door romance

The second book started not long after the first, with the King’s Champion taking hits off a list. Only she wasn’t.

I think the incident with the carnival is one of the most vivid memories I have from the whole series. Along with the wearhouse scene. The set up is really great for such a pivotal turning point in Celaena’s journey. 

Chaol having to deal with his lawful nature was just as hard to go through the second time as it was the first. His self deprecation after Neimiah died is SO much. He does absolutely nothing and basically disappears for multiple  chapters. Why didn’t he fight for her?! 

Dorian’s journey in this book is an interesting one. Going from infatuated playboy to someone with their own dark secret was a great arc. But the unresolved attraction Boggs his character down.

The arc with Chaol was beautiful, and devastating. I forgot how intense it was.

I was disappointed that the only diverse main character in the book was used as a tool to further the plot in the way they were. It’s almost like she was becoming too good of a character, more noble than the FMC, and had to be taken out.

First read 6/2022- 3⭐️
This is a YA book. It was an easy read. Not very fulfilling. Fluffy. I’m not really invested enough after finishing it to move on to the second book. 

Things I respected:
- high fantasy, creating an entire new world, is very hard to do. I wasn’t distracted or confused by much. 
- No sex scenes. The plot didn’t need it. Didn’t miss it.
- Maas wrote this when she was a teenager. 

Things I didn’t like:
-the main character is only 18  (beautiful, vain, bookish…yawn) and supposedly the greatest assassin of all time after working/training for 10 years. But she still pouts when she isn’t invited to parties and balls.
-Competitions where there could be an opportunity to show off why she earned that title were glossed over or skipped all together. She is an assassin that made zero kills in the book. She has to cheat in order to win one of her challenges. Notorious assassin. Ha!
-she is so unaware of her surroundings. Sleeping through people coming in and out of her room. A heart as cold as ice, but then she befriends her maid and a princess within seconds of meeting them. She is completely oblivious. Her character is all over the place, even for an 18 year old assassin who did a year of hard labor.
-The captain of the guard is 22. Only 22?!… and got to such a high position as captain of the guard having never killed anyone… so has he never fought in a single battle? How did he earn his spot at such a young age? 

There isn’t an ounce of urgency to read what comes next after book 1 is over. I could drop this series all together after this first book and not feel any pull to read the following 7 books or the prequel.
—————————————————————
Reread 1/2024- 4⭐️ 2🌶️

Young Adult Fantasy
Assassin/morally grey FMC
Multi POV
Trials/competition
Love triangle
Chosen one
Secret history
Murder mystery

Tw: vomit, slavery, murder, gore

There is so much for-shadowing for the whole series within the first 3 chapters. You already know that she is not just an assassin. The forest knows she is something important. That was never hinted at in Assassin’s Blade.

I completely forgot about the murder mystery aspect of this book. Actually, I had forgotten a lot of this book, leaving me with only vague ties into the overall plot of the series. I highlighted SO much. 

Celaena is such a flawed character. She is vein and arrogant. Without the novellas there isn’t much to show her being a ruthless assassin, so it’s hard to put that mantle on her. But with the novellas and fully knowing about her time as assassin, you can respect her a little more. She is morally grey, but in the most honorable way!

Dorian is such a spoiled prince. And I say that with love. His chaotic good nature is something else.
Chaol is tight laced, lawful good, loyalty and honor above all else. 

The two men are at such odds with themselves and their situation. It’s so good!

Assassin’s blade- 4⭐️ 2🌶️

Ya Romance

Morally grey FMC

Novella collection

Secrets

Training

There is almost NO fantasy elements to this book. The only thing that mentions magic or mystical things is the pirate captain’s map tattoo.

It was so interesting to see the before tog starts. I feel like this is a far better start than tog. Sam’s character was fine, but I don’t think he would have been anything special if he had lived. It would have been the run of a mill romance type situation… I don’t think that has much competition to fared mates. We will see how much he comes up and how he ties in. I remember him being talked about. 

It was good to see the characters that seemed to come from no where to help in the end. It makes way more sense now.

That time I got drunk and yeeted a love potion at a werewolf- 2.75⭐️3🌶️

Romantic fantasy
Fated mates
Shifter Romance
BIPOC
Mythical creatures
Found family
He falls first



I was so excited to get the ARC for this book. I have seen rave reviews for this series all over tiktok. Unfortunately, the story didn’t quite live up to the hype. The medieval vibes with modern duologue and slang didn’t fit as nicely as I had hoped. But I was better adjusted to it after reading the first book.

This was a werewolf shifter romance. One where the FMC was obsessed with werewolf shifter books, so she kept breaking the fourth wall to talk about her book plots and comparing them to her life. It was tongue in cheek and irreverent, but in an annoying way.

The world building was barely there and what was there was so slap-dash that much of it was sidelined bad dialogue and rushed plot. The end seemed so out of place with what the whole rest of the book was about. Far too intense for the tone of the book.

 I wanted to like this. But I just didn’t.

5⭐️ 3🌶️

Contemporary romance
Rom-com
Time travel 
Found family
Forced proximity
Celebrity
Grief
🏳️‍🌈 side characters

This was a great book. It was funny, emotional, heartwarming, sad, romantic… all the good things.

I’m always pleased when a NY setting feels like a character of its own. This book did a great job at capturing that idea, but not in an overwhelming way.

The characters were so great. Reading about an almost 30yo who was stuck in a rut was so relatable. 

The nickname was super cute! And the meshing of the then/now was really well done. 

I just really loved reading this

A tempest of tea 3.5⭐️ 1.75🌶️

Fantasy

Gender swap King Arthur reimagining

Vampires

Peaky blinders vibe

BIPOC

Multi POV

Heist

Secrets

Treason

The premise was interesting. With a reverse gendered King Arthur/Excalibur retelling focusing on immigrants and the seedy underbelly of this kingdom, I was initially it reached. However I quickly grew bored. A whole lot of nothing happened for the first half of the book. I was at 39% and completely baffled that they had only just finalized the heist plan.  I was underwhelmed… but that ending hooked me in. I love a god mysterious identity character.

The characters borrowed heavily from Peaky Blinders and the dynamics from that show, only with different immigrant dynamics. I was less interested in that than I was the problems the characters needed to solve. I also worry that because I haven’t read we hunt the flame, that I’m missing information.

The magic system was a fairly standard for vampire lore, with an interesting little twist. I liked that aspect of the book.

That ending had me more interested in the sequel than I was for 40% of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and McMillin’s Children Publishing Group for an Advanced eReader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.