endless_tbr_list's reviews
331 reviews

Robert Thrax is a dragon exterminator who would really love to just be a prince's valet. Alas, regardless of his hatred for his position, Robert is good at what he does. Therefore, he's the one called in when Princess Cerise needs the castle cleared of dragons so she can properly present herself and her family's home to the visiting Crown Prince Reginald of Corvinia.

What begins as a simple - if lengthy - job at the castle, soon sees Robert wrapped up in a plot to help Prince Reginald slay a dragon of his own. Not one to be left behind, Princess Cerise is determined to join the adventure and ensure that the prince (soon to be her prince) makes it back safely. However, it quickly becomes clear to the band of travelers that dragon hunting is no simple task, and dragons themselves may not be the only thing they have to fear on their journey.

The book is beautifully written, and the story has a wonderful balance of adventure, despair, and sarcasm. Do beware, despite the title, this is no simple humorous fantasy tale - where there are dragons, there is also fire, destruction, and death.

Thank you to Saga Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Perfect for dragon lovers, I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons is out May 14th!  

For Austen adaptions there is a necessary balance between retelling and originality, and Belllezza and Harding have nailed that balance beautifully! Emma of 83rd Street was such a joy to read, and now Elizabeth of East Hampton has arrived and I am smitten! There is a reason why Elizabeth Bennett, and Fitzwilliam Darcy have such a hold over so many romance readers, their story is truly timeless. 
 
Retellings of Austen's works can so easily fall flat if that's all they are, retellings. What I love so much about this book is that it didn't just feel like Elizabeth and Darcy's story was plopped into the Hamptons, but rather their story was molded to fit the new setting and the new century (I adored the answering machine scene!). The characters - even with their modern day jobs and worries - still retained their personalities and and quirks that make them who they are. Mrs. Bennett is still as gossip hungry as ever, Charlie still as charming and love struck, and Lizzy and Darcy still as electric and messy (wink wink). 
 
Minor changes to events helped the story flow naturally through without seeming lazy or stilted, and also allowed for a fun tie in with Emma and George. There was even one change that I truly did not see coming (no spoilers, but I think you'll know it when you read it), yet after it happened I couldn't imagine this working as well any other way. So bravi to the authors, it's not often I'm so delightfully surprised by an adaption! 
 
Perfect for romance and Austen fans alike, Elizabeth of East Hampton is out August 6th!
 
Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

According to UNESCO only 5% of the ocean has been explored, which, to me, makes the ocean an absolutely terrifying place and the perfect subject for a horror novel. Enter: Into the Drowning Deep!

Seven years ago The Atargatis was found empty and adrift at sea. No bodies were ever recovered, but footage of something was. Now The Melusine and her crew of researchers are sailing back to the Mariana Trench, back to those very same waters, in hopes of uncovering their secrets.

Balancing all these characters meant switching between POVs, and in a story that could easily seem repetitive with an obvious ending, the swapping of narrators was a fun and interesting way to introduce new information and keep things feeling fresh. 

I don’t want to give away too much, so I’ll just leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the book. I think it sums the vibes up quite nicely 🤭

“Humanity had chosen the land over the sea millennia ago, and sometimes—when she was letting her mind wander, when she was romanticizing what she did and how she did it—she thought the sea still held a grudge. Breakups were never easy, and while humanity was hot and fast and had had plenty of time to get over it, the oceans were deep and slow, and for them all change had happened only yesterday. The seas did not forgive, and they did not welcome their wayward children home.”

A wonderfully fun, witty, and spicy debut! Molly is a rom-com writer realist with no desire to fall in love, whereas Seth is quick-to-fall divorce attorney searching for his soulmate. They used to date in high school, but right before graduation Molly ended things and disappeared, completely ghosting Seth until they run into one another at their high school's fifteen-year reunion. After a few too many cocktails and a drunken hookup, they decide to make a little wager (because that's never a bad idea) and bet on the fate of five couples over the next five years, one of which is themselves. A delightful read with some great character growth - I very much enjoyed this one!

Thank you to Flatiron Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A fun summer read, Just Some Stupid Love Story is out June 4!

As a lifelong fan of the folktales, mythology, and straight up ghost stories, I was so excited to dive into Freaky Folklore! Comprised of a collection of stories from around the world - including Latin America's La Llorona, the Strzyga of Poland and Ukraine, the Tokoloshe of South Africa, and the Philippines' Manananggal, to name a few. This book introduces the reader to many well known creatures and cryptids, as well as a few that might not be as familiar. 

Entries are paired with a colorful illustration of the monster, as well as a short fictionalized encounter. I appreciated the number of creatures included in this work, but I would have loved to see more background and a longer story for each entry. Perhaps even stories of actual encounters? Though a fun addition, the fictionalized tales were often a bit too short to build up any true terror or horror, and ended up feeling flat. 

Freaky Folklore is a broad, though not exhaustive, compilation of monsters and their tales from a variety of different cultures. While an interesting concept for a book, I do wish it had lived up to it's claim of "terrifying tales." 

Thank you to Wellfleet Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.