kaitie_reads's reviews
143 reviews

A sweet, cozy and sapphic autumn read. 

With short and sweet chapters, a lovely sapphic romance and a little bit of murder mystery, this book makes for a great autumn read. It has me dreaming of opening up a little café in a town like Maple Hollow. 

This story is told in dual POV, with cute and funny banter throughout. I did find it very fast-paced with minimal worldbuilding, so although the magic of Maple Hollow isn't explained in depth and some scenes moved quickly, I never lost interest in the story. It's simple and cozy, like a hallmark movie set around Halloween with magical characters. I did find the actions of some of the characters a little bit irrational at times, but I'm nothing if not a little nit-picky. 

Overall, it was a very cozy and digestible read. The kind of book you pick up when you don't want something overly serious and that you could read in one sitting... curled up with your favourite autumn drink.  

𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓪𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓿𝓲𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓶𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓪𝓷 𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓲𝓷 𝓮𝔁𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝔂 𝓱𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀.

Charming. Cozy. Witchy... 
with just a pinch of dark magic and romance. 

Picture this: fuzzy socks, a flannel blanket, a warm mug of "So Cozy Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate" and a furry companion joining you while you read this book... in a cozy little cabin in front of a crackling fireplace the week before Halloween. Seriously, this book is an ode to everything there is to love about the autumn season. 

I enjoyed this story. While the stakes aren't particularly high, the plot is enticing, and you can't help but love Hecate our FMC and Hedge Witch. I was amused by the plot development, the little twists along the way, and the sweet romance within these pages. 

Some of the characters did put a sour taste in my mouth with their treatment of the FMC - and although she pardons them in the story - I think they got off a little bit too easily. I did find there could've been a little bit more conflict resolution, and the ending is fairly fast-paced after a slow-building story, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. 

The included recipes and descriptions of the food were just top-notch. I may have drooled a little.

𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓸 𝓝𝓮𝓽𝓰𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝔂 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓐𝓵𝓬𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪𝓷 𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓲𝓷 𝓮𝔁𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝔂 𝓱𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀.

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed it. 

Is the story problematic? Yes. 
Did I have a good time? Also, yes. 

Like many others, I've seen the screen adaptation and wanted to read the book as well. I think the screen adaptation actually improves the story and characters quite a bit, but I always love to have insight into what characters are thinking and feeling -  and you just don't get that from a screen adaptation. 

The characters are a little bland. Some of the content is questionable... I'm not even going to talk about that very problematic SA scene. 

I'm giving the story a little bit of grace here since it is almost 25 years old, and I'm looking forward to continuing the series.

This book was dark. It was poetic. It was suspenseful. All of those elements intertwined with a seductive, tantalizing, and immersive romance made for a fantastic read. 

If you love books with paranormal activity, murder investigations, broody possessive MMCs, an outcast introverted FMC, atmospheric writing, and whose stories have you questioning humanity and morality, this is a book for you. 

Dante and Ophelia are perfection. Both with tragic pasts, both with a questionable moral compass, and both are completely immersed in one another. I love their mutual pining and how their stories are intertwined. 

While the story was slower-paced at times, I never felt like it dragged along because of the atmospheric prose. I enjoyed every part of my reading experience for this wonderful debut.

Thank you to the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. 

I read the audiobook for this story, and while it was an enjoyable story, it wasn't particularly remarkable.

The story features stereotypical white people cishet relationships and drama, with a spin. The spin is a delightful octopus named Marcellus. Marcellus is a really lovely character, and I loved his placement in the story, but overall, he is more of a delightful side character and partial narrator. Going in, I thought he'd be a little more centric to the plot. 

I do like Tova, our main character. She is depicted as a sweet older lady, grieving the disappearance of her son and the family she doesn't have. I do find that she judges others harshly for not knowing the weight she carries. Her grief is a little bit overwhelming because it seems to encompass every interaction and thought that she has, even though her son has been gone for decades. I was surprised that others care so much about helping her when she's consistently dismissive of their efforts. 

Our other main character, Cameron, is pretty insufferable. His self-victimization and dramatics seem a little bit augmented for his age and place in life. It bothers me when characters are whiny about their self-inflicted circumstances, especially when they have ample opportunity to better themselves. Overall, he does experience a lot of growth, but I still don't like him. I don't think it helps that the narrator portrays him with a very burnout "bro/dude" style of diction. 

The narration from Marcellus offers a limited omniscient view of the other characters, which is almost frustrating at times because stubbornness and miscommunication between the characters disrupt the story's progression. It felt like a lot of the interaction and development toward the end of the story was unnecessary and drawn out. 

Overall, it was a heartwarming read, but I didn't care about any of the characters besides the octopus.

This story is gorgeous, both inside and out.

Naia is a goddess without a title. She's shunned and abused by her family of vicious immortal gods. Her only value to them is her prophesized destiny. Finally escaping the turmoil on her wedding day, she meets Ronin - a broody mortal man with secrets and battles of his own.

Naia is a phenomenal FMC. I adore her journey, her softness, and her love of sugary sweets. I found myself wholeheartedly rooting for her throughout the story.

Ronin, our male main character, exudes mystery and broodiness, but the love and devotion he has for Naia is wonderful. He has a strong "will-burn-the-world-for-her" vibe.

It's easy to tell that this story has roots in Greek [and other types of] mythology - with its depiction of gods and their immortal life spans - but the author has created a new world, featuring gods of different titles and powers in a modern-day setting. I went into this book mostly blind and completely fell in love with the characters and the story. Randi Garner has created an eloquent and beautifully layered story. The world-building is also enthralling and meticulously crafted.

I did find the pacing a bit challenging at times, as the story covers a large period, sometimes within just a few pages. I certainly didn't anticipate the ending or the various twists, and I appreciate how the story offers a well-rounded conclusion while leaving readers eagerly anticipating the next book.

I'm very excited to continue with this story and characters. 

𝓦𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓸𝓵𝓿𝓮, 𝓼𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓪𝓲𝓭, "𝓘 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓫𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓾𝓷𝓭𝓸𝓲𝓷𝓰, 𝓡𝓸𝓷𝓲𝓷." 
𝓗𝓲𝓼 𝓵𝓲𝓹𝓼 𝓼𝓴𝓲𝓶𝓶𝓮𝓭 𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓳𝓪𝔀𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓮. "𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓵𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭𝔂 𝓪𝓻𝓮."

*I would advise other readers that there are some rather graphic depictions of physical & emotional abuse in this story.

I enjoyed this one so much! It was deliciously dark, had a well-written storyline, and a captivating dark fairytale vibe. 

I like that it is a dual POV from Lira, a prince-killing siren, and Elian, a siren-killing prince. It offers a more mature and bloodthirsty take on "The Little Mermaid" but feels closer to Andersen's original story than the Disney adaptation.

The battle scenes were well described, the banter was engaging, the characters were well-developed, and I was invested in the world and character-building throughout. 

My only reason for not rating this one higher is that the ending felt a bit rushed and cliché. 

"𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓪 𝓵𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓵𝓮 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓽𝓸𝓭𝓪𝔂, 𝓪𝓻𝓮𝓷'𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾?" "𝓝𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻," 𝓘 𝓼𝓪𝔂. "𝓣𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓼𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝓾𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻 𝓶𝔂 𝓫𝓮𝓭."

This was such an interesting read! 

I'm going, to be honest, I struggled to get into this one. I also struggled a bit with the pacing once I did get into it. 

However, it was a really good read. How can you go wrong with a dark academia paranormal fantasy murder mystery with an unlikely heroine and secret occult societies? 

This one didn't go where I expected it to, and it was unpredictable, but I love how the subtle hints were there all along. I'm looking forward to continuing with Alex Stern in Hell Bent. 

Speaking of Alex Stern, I love her. She's rough around the edges, fiercely loyal and stubborn in the best way. Some of the witty comebacks from her were top-notch. I also love her determination.... couldn't be me, lol.

Overall, this story went to very unexpected places and had me on the edge of my seat. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a good fantasy thriller that blurs the lines of convention... while still feeling oddly realistic.

I hate to leave a bad review, but I'm feeling confused and underwhelmed by this story. 

The writing is choppy. The dialogue is immature. The actual story progression relies completely on "Oh now this can happen because this world is magical!". I almost DNF'd several times but wanted to stick it out to see how it ends.... of course, it ends on a massive cliffhanger, and there is no resolution (it just ends right in the middle of the action). This story also reads like YA, but it's marketed as NA (outside of the few spicy scenes). 

Almost every chapter had a massive info dump. The dialogue is stretched out and needs editing (the characters' speech feels off and repetitive). The plot development and twists are unbelievable. It's like the author just pulled plot devices and explanations out of a popular-fantasy-plot-devices jar.

It's unfortunate because I loved the concept at first. The mirror magic is interesting but just gets more and more muddled. The ballet aspect? Loved it, I love our FMC's passion for dance and also the fact that she can perform autopsies and has medical knowledge. 

I think there was a really good idea here, but the execution is lacking. 

Thank you to Victory Editing Co-Op and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a hoot. I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but I enjoyed it so much. 

Frances White has created a complex world filled with magic, murder, social hierarchy, and betrayal. Every character in the book is well-developed, even if they are dislikeable, which makes it a pleasure to read.

This book might not be for everyone. It has both modern and historical elements, and there are many characters to keep track of, which can be confusing. It's also very weird - with some corny dialogue and cheesy plot development - but that's also its charm.

Although it's not a very serious read, the author addresses many important issues and injustices in the story. I found it wonderful. The book is set in a diverse LGBTQ+ inclusive world, and the way the author incorporates diverse characters and relationships is extremely well done. 

The ending completely surprised me. I thought I had the story figured out multiple times, only to have the rug pulled out from underneath me.

I will always love a read with an unlikely hero.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.