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kaitie_reads's reviews
143 reviews
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
TJR has this ability to spin a wonderful, easy-to-read story while writing about some of the more difficult topics in life. I love how she creates very digestible stories without skimping on perspective or pulling the emotional punches.
Malibu Rising was exactly that. It's a story of overcoming family trauma, but also of grief, redemption, and becoming who you want to be; instead of who the world expects you to be. We get a picture of this seemingly perfect Hollywood family, but through various POVs and flashes from the past; we see the dysfunction and reality of 4 siblings trying to work through their trauma.
Although it was a simple read: I laughed, I shed a few tears, and I thoroughly enjoyed the perspective offered throughout. It is funny, emotional, and thought-provoking, without feeling heavy.
"๐๐ฎ๐ท ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ ๐ซ๐พ๐ต๐ต๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ - ๐น๐ฎ๐ธ๐น๐ต๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ ๐ซ๐พ๐ต๐ต๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ - ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐๐ฒ๐ท๐ช ๐๐ช๐ผ ๐ท๐ธ๐ฝ ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ป๐ธ๐พ๐ฐ๐ฑ ๐ซ๐พ๐ต๐ต๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ต๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐ช๐ป๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ต๐ผ ๐ช ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ธ๐ท๐ญ ๐ต๐ธ๐ท๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป."
Malibu Rising was exactly that. It's a story of overcoming family trauma, but also of grief, redemption, and becoming who you want to be; instead of who the world expects you to be. We get a picture of this seemingly perfect Hollywood family, but through various POVs and flashes from the past; we see the dysfunction and reality of 4 siblings trying to work through their trauma.
Although it was a simple read: I laughed, I shed a few tears, and I thoroughly enjoyed the perspective offered throughout. It is funny, emotional, and thought-provoking, without feeling heavy.
"๐๐ฎ๐ท ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ ๐ซ๐พ๐ต๐ต๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ - ๐น๐ฎ๐ธ๐น๐ต๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ ๐ซ๐พ๐ต๐ต๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ - ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐๐ฒ๐ท๐ช ๐๐ช๐ผ ๐ท๐ธ๐ฝ ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ป๐ธ๐พ๐ฐ๐ฑ ๐ซ๐พ๐ต๐ต๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ต๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐ช๐ป๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ต๐ผ ๐ช ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ธ๐ท๐ญ ๐ต๐ธ๐ท๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป."
Strange Folk by Alli Dyer
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I have some mixed feelings about this one.
On one hand, I did find the story very absorbing. I enjoyed the writing style and the development of the story. I like the overall message of healing by returning to your roots and embracing your "strange."
On the other hand, I didn't connect with any of the characters; they are almost all very toxic, and there is a lot of trauma and substance abuse. At times, the story feels choppy, and I feel like it crosses the bridge a little too far between magical realism and outright fantasy without really fitting into either category. Some resolutions felt too easy or convenient.
I loved the overall witchy vibe, but some of the "folk magic" practices and spells just went a little too far for me.
There were some twists and turns I didn't see coming, and I did find the story very readable as I finished it within a day or two. The scene setting in this book was excellent, and it does have a lot of charm.
I would also warn that it dives into some pretty heavy topics without much forewarning.
๐ฃ๐ฑ๐ช๐ท๐ด๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฐ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐๐ฝ๐ป๐ฒ๐ช ๐๐ธ๐ธ๐ด๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ธ๐ป ๐ช๐ท ๐๐ก๐ ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ผ ๐ซ๐ธ๐ธ๐ด ๐ฒ๐ท ๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ฑ๐ช๐ท๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ธ๐ป ๐ช๐ท ๐ฑ๐ธ๐ท๐ฎ๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐.
On one hand, I did find the story very absorbing. I enjoyed the writing style and the development of the story. I like the overall message of healing by returning to your roots and embracing your "strange."
On the other hand, I didn't connect with any of the characters; they are almost all very toxic, and there is a lot of trauma and substance abuse. At times, the story feels choppy, and I feel like it crosses the bridge a little too far between magical realism and outright fantasy without really fitting into either category. Some resolutions felt too easy or convenient.
I loved the overall witchy vibe, but some of the "folk magic" practices and spells just went a little too far for me.
There were some twists and turns I didn't see coming, and I did find the story very readable as I finished it within a day or two. The scene setting in this book was excellent, and it does have a lot of charm.
I would also warn that it dives into some pretty heavy topics without much forewarning.
๐ฃ๐ฑ๐ช๐ท๐ด๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฐ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐๐ฝ๐ป๐ฒ๐ช ๐๐ธ๐ธ๐ด๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ธ๐ป ๐ช๐ท ๐๐ก๐ ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ผ ๐ซ๐ธ๐ธ๐ด ๐ฒ๐ท ๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ฑ๐ช๐ท๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ธ๐ป ๐ช๐ท ๐ฑ๐ธ๐ท๐ฎ๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Murder
Minor: Pedophilia and Sexual assault
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
4.0
***possible spoilers ahead if you are not familiar with The Hunger Games franchise and you plan to read this book first***
I enjoyed this villain origin story.
Coriolanus Snow has grown up surrounded by war. During his impressionable years, he saw the worst of humanity from neighbours and friends who were on the brink of starvation. Mix in a sociopathic mentor, loyalty to your family name, a drive to escape poverty, and a firm belief that everyone is capable of being evil if pressed; and you discover Coriolanus Snow.
I enjoyed how Suzanne Collins didn't portray Coryo as inherently evil. We get to see the thought process that shapes him as a character and the actions that shape his worldview. Early on, he learns the art of manipulation and how to wield it to put himself on top. While he doesn't enthusiastically agree with The Hunger Games at the beginning, he's able to convince himself that all of life is The Hunger Games, and he refuses to be anything but a victor. She also contrasts him beautifully against the character of Lucy Gray, his complete opposite in every way.
I did struggle a little bit with the pacing of the story. I also struggled with reading from the POV of someone who is deplorable and narcissistic, but it was a great read all the same. The actual Hunger Games portion was slow at times, and I did find the ending a tad fast.
I enjoyed this villain origin story.
Coriolanus Snow has grown up surrounded by war. During his impressionable years, he saw the worst of humanity from neighbours and friends who were on the brink of starvation. Mix in a sociopathic mentor, loyalty to your family name, a drive to escape poverty, and a firm belief that everyone is capable of being evil if pressed; and you discover Coriolanus Snow.
I enjoyed how Suzanne Collins didn't portray Coryo as inherently evil. We get to see the thought process that shapes him as a character and the actions that shape his worldview. Early on, he learns the art of manipulation and how to wield it to put himself on top. While he doesn't enthusiastically agree with The Hunger Games at the beginning, he's able to convince himself that all of life is The Hunger Games, and he refuses to be anything but a victor. She also contrasts him beautifully against the character of Lucy Gray, his complete opposite in every way.
I did struggle a little bit with the pacing of the story. I also struggled with reading from the POV of someone who is deplorable and narcissistic, but it was a great read all the same. The actual Hunger Games portion was slow at times, and I did find the ending a tad fast.
The Cruel Dark by Bea Northwick
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
I LOVED THIS BOOK.
A little bit spooky. Gorgeous prose. An exhilarating romance. Amazing tension. Unexpected twists. A spooky manor house. An FMC who loves books and fairytales.
It was phenomenal.
The scene setting had me melting throughout. The descriptions of Willowfield were soothing for my soul (even with the minor horror element throughout). The plot unravels in a way I never saw coming, and I love how the author incorporates so many possibilities that it keeps you guessing.
I'm going to try to keep this review short because I think you should just read this book. If you love suspense, romance, some great spice, and/or gothic fiction, this is a wonderful read.
"๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ธ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฑ ๐ช๐ท ๐ฎ๐ต๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ท๐ฝ ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ป๐ฒ๐ต๐ต, ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ท ๐ช ๐ซ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ฑ๐ธ๐ป๐ป๐ธ๐ป. ๐๐ช๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฝ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐น๐ต๐ฎ๐ท๐ฝ๐ ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ซ๐ธ๐ฝ๐ฑ ๐พ๐ผ๐พ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐. ๐๐ฝ'๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ช๐ผ๐ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ท๐ณ๐ธ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ๐ผ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฝ ๐๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ท ๐๐ธ๐พ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ท ๐ณ๐พ๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ฌ๐ต๐ธ๐ผ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐ธ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ช๐ท๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐ซ๐ฎ ๐ผ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฎ."
A little bit spooky. Gorgeous prose. An exhilarating romance. Amazing tension. Unexpected twists. A spooky manor house. An FMC who loves books and fairytales.
It was phenomenal.
The scene setting had me melting throughout. The descriptions of Willowfield were soothing for my soul (even with the minor horror element throughout). The plot unravels in a way I never saw coming, and I love how the author incorporates so many possibilities that it keeps you guessing.
I'm going to try to keep this review short because I think you should just read this book. If you love suspense, romance, some great spice, and/or gothic fiction, this is a wonderful read.
"๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ธ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฑ ๐ช๐ท ๐ฎ๐ต๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ท๐ฝ ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ป๐ฒ๐ต๐ต, ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ท ๐ช ๐ซ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ฑ๐ธ๐ป๐ป๐ธ๐ป. ๐๐ช๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฝ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐น๐ต๐ฎ๐ท๐ฝ๐ ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ซ๐ธ๐ฝ๐ฑ ๐พ๐ผ๐พ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐. ๐๐ฝ'๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ช๐ผ๐ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ท๐ณ๐ธ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ๐ผ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฝ ๐๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ท ๐๐ธ๐พ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ท ๐ณ๐พ๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ฌ๐ต๐ธ๐ผ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐ธ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ช๐ท๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐ซ๐ฎ ๐ผ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฎ."
A Dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
"๐ ๐๐ช๐ผ ๐ฏ๐พ๐ป๐ฒ๐ธ๐พ๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ถ๐ช๐ท. ๐ข๐ธ, ๐ผ๐ธ ๐ฏ๐พ๐ป๐ฒ๐ธ๐พ๐ผ. ๐๐พ๐ฝ ๐ ๐ช๐ต๐ผ๐ธ ๐๐ช๐ท๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ด ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ผ ๐ท๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ด. ๐๐ฝ ๐๐ช๐ผ ๐ฌ๐ธ๐ถ๐น๐ต๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ญ."
This was an enjoyable and fast-paced read. It would be a great pick for readers who are new to fantasy and romantasy.
I thought it was good. It's not an exceptional read, but where it lacks in depth, it excels in being engaging for readers. The worldbuilding is simple, the FMC can be irritating, and the writing sometimes reads like YA / lacks maturity. However, this story is great for being easy to dive into and follow while also including some great characters and romantic tension.
The main character and healer Arwen is well-rounded, although - as mentioned - sometimes irritating. I love her passion for healing and her commitment to her family. I love the character Mari, even though she acts brashly at times. Her love of books and learning drew me in. Kane is also a great - and somewhat typical - morally grey MMC.
There were twists and turns that I wasn't anticipating, and I'm excited to see how the story develops in subsequent books.
This was an enjoyable and fast-paced read. It would be a great pick for readers who are new to fantasy and romantasy.
I thought it was good. It's not an exceptional read, but where it lacks in depth, it excels in being engaging for readers. The worldbuilding is simple, the FMC can be irritating, and the writing sometimes reads like YA / lacks maturity. However, this story is great for being easy to dive into and follow while also including some great characters and romantic tension.
The main character and healer Arwen is well-rounded, although - as mentioned - sometimes irritating. I love her passion for healing and her commitment to her family. I love the character Mari, even though she acts brashly at times. Her love of books and learning drew me in. Kane is also a great - and somewhat typical - morally grey MMC.
There were twists and turns that I wasn't anticipating, and I'm excited to see how the story develops in subsequent books.
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
3.5
I'm not quite sure how I feel about this one.
I liked the premise, but I'm not completely sold on the characters or story, and I also found the plot and worldbuilding a little bit confusing. The plot feels jumpy at times, and I know a little bit of the confusion is intentional - because we aren't supposed to know what's happening - but it left me feeling a bit frustrated.
Emilia, our FMC is very stubborn and overall makes quite a few bad decisions. At times, while reading, I liked her a lot, but then she frustrated me too. She makes a lot of decisions that seem to make her desired result a lot harder to attain.
Wrath, our MMC, on the other hand, was incredible. I liked him very much. I'm actually in the process of getting my summoning circle ready as I write this review.
Despite my confusion, I also found that some of the elements of the story were predictable. I'm still a little unsure about what happened at the end of this book, but I'm hoping it becomes less murky when I read the next installment.
Overall, I loved this fresh take on witches and demons. The descriptions of the food had me salivating, and I love the little bits of Italian culture that the author mixed into the story. I'm hoping to see Emilia develop as a character and have some of my questions answered as I move along because I am a bit puzzled.
Also, I'm looking forward to more Wrath. ๐ฅ
I liked the premise, but I'm not completely sold on the characters or story, and I also found the plot and worldbuilding a little bit confusing. The plot feels jumpy at times, and I know a little bit of the confusion is intentional - because we aren't supposed to know what's happening - but it left me feeling a bit frustrated.
Emilia, our FMC is very stubborn and overall makes quite a few bad decisions. At times, while reading, I liked her a lot, but then she frustrated me too. She makes a lot of decisions that seem to make her desired result a lot harder to attain.
Wrath, our MMC, on the other hand, was incredible. I liked him very much. I'm actually in the process of getting my summoning circle ready as I write this review.
Despite my confusion, I also found that some of the elements of the story were predictable. I'm still a little unsure about what happened at the end of this book, but I'm hoping it becomes less murky when I read the next installment.
Overall, I loved this fresh take on witches and demons. The descriptions of the food had me salivating, and I love the little bits of Italian culture that the author mixed into the story. I'm hoping to see Emilia develop as a character and have some of my questions answered as I move along because I am a bit puzzled.
Also, I'm looking forward to more Wrath. ๐ฅ
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
I'm working on rereading this series, and it was so wonderful to dive back into this world and Alagaรซsia.
What impresses me most about this book is how the worldbuilding and story structure are complex but also super easy to follow and immersive at the same time. A lot of the worldbuilding is conveyed via a storyteller, so instead of feeling like there are large info dumps; the information is relayed in an exciting and immersive way.
What also never ceases to amaze me is that Christopher Paolini was 15 years old when he started writing this series. I do find our protagonist, Eragon, shows a bit of a lack of maturity in this first book, but his character growth is immaculate, and not only is The Inheritance Cycle Series a high fantasy, but also a coming-of-age story.
Saphira, our dragon, is the ultimate bonded dragon companion. She's sassy and intelligent, and I found while reading I was reimmersed into a familiar feeling (one that I had when I first read these books) of wishing I had a dragon companion like Saphira.
Christopher Paolini does not pull his punches, and the tragedies that Eragon experiences as he grows into his newfound role are devastating but also shape him as a character. By the end of the book, we start to see him grow from those experiences and develop from that naive farm boy into his role as a dragon rider.
I was happy to discover that I still really enjoyed this book rereading it as a now adult, and I can't wait to relive and enjoy the remainder of this series.
"๐๐ฎ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฒ๐ท ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ท๐ญ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฝ ๐ถ๐ช๐ท๐ ๐น๐ฎ๐ธ๐น๐ต๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฏ๐ธ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ; ๐ฒ๐ฝ'๐ผ ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฝ๐พ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ ๐บ๐พ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐ธ๐ถ๐ถ๐ธ๐ท. ๐ฃ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ป๐ฎ๐ช๐ต ๐ฌ๐ธ๐พ๐ป๐ช๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ฒ๐ผ ๐ฒ๐ท ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐ผ๐พ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐ธ๐ป ๐๐ฑ๐ช๐ฝ ๐๐ธ๐พ ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ."
What impresses me most about this book is how the worldbuilding and story structure are complex but also super easy to follow and immersive at the same time. A lot of the worldbuilding is conveyed via a storyteller, so instead of feeling like there are large info dumps; the information is relayed in an exciting and immersive way.
What also never ceases to amaze me is that Christopher Paolini was 15 years old when he started writing this series. I do find our protagonist, Eragon, shows a bit of a lack of maturity in this first book, but his character growth is immaculate, and not only is The Inheritance Cycle Series a high fantasy, but also a coming-of-age story.
Saphira, our dragon, is the ultimate bonded dragon companion. She's sassy and intelligent, and I found while reading I was reimmersed into a familiar feeling (one that I had when I first read these books) of wishing I had a dragon companion like Saphira.
Christopher Paolini does not pull his punches, and the tragedies that Eragon experiences as he grows into his newfound role are devastating but also shape him as a character. By the end of the book, we start to see him grow from those experiences and develop from that naive farm boy into his role as a dragon rider.
I was happy to discover that I still really enjoyed this book rereading it as a now adult, and I can't wait to relive and enjoy the remainder of this series.
"๐๐ฎ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฒ๐ท ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ท๐ญ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฝ ๐ถ๐ช๐ท๐ ๐น๐ฎ๐ธ๐น๐ต๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฏ๐ธ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ; ๐ฒ๐ฝ'๐ผ ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฝ๐พ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ ๐บ๐พ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐ธ๐ถ๐ถ๐ธ๐ท. ๐ฃ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ป๐ฎ๐ช๐ต ๐ฌ๐ธ๐พ๐ป๐ช๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ฒ๐ผ ๐ฒ๐ท ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐ผ๐พ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐ธ๐ป ๐๐ฑ๐ช๐ฝ ๐๐ธ๐พ ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ."
Our Little Secret by Lisa Jackson
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This one was not my cup of tea.
I did read through this book quickly, and the premise was interesting, but it just fell flat for me overall. The characters were all extremely unlikable, the plot lines weren't very believable, and I just found the characters too erratic and over the top.
Without spoilers, the actions of the main character Brooke don't really make sense. She feels threatened, and her daughter, whom she loves, is threatened, but she just simply chooses not to go to the police multiple times. She suspects her husband of hiding things but doesn't sneak onto his computer (which seems easily accessible in his study) to confirm her suspicions... she just let's it go. Her sister is an absolute basket case, and yet she doesn't cut her off. I just couldn't see anyone in real life being so naive and misguided.
The ending is rushed for the build-up as well. I did keep turning the pages because I was intrigued to see where the story would end up, but it was underwhelming. I feel like there were plot lines with loose ends.
I did like that the story was fast-paced. The dog Shep (who is a retriever and not a Shepard) also made the story worthwhile.
Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I did read through this book quickly, and the premise was interesting, but it just fell flat for me overall. The characters were all extremely unlikable, the plot lines weren't very believable, and I just found the characters too erratic and over the top.
Without spoilers, the actions of the main character Brooke don't really make sense. She feels threatened, and her daughter, whom she loves, is threatened, but she just simply chooses not to go to the police multiple times. She suspects her husband of hiding things but doesn't sneak onto his computer (which seems easily accessible in his study) to confirm her suspicions... she just let's it go. Her sister is an absolute basket case, and yet she doesn't cut her off. I just couldn't see anyone in real life being so naive and misguided.
The ending is rushed for the build-up as well. I did keep turning the pages because I was intrigued to see where the story would end up, but it was underwhelming. I feel like there were plot lines with loose ends.
I did like that the story was fast-paced. The dog Shep (who is a retriever and not a Shepard) also made the story worthwhile.
Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Murder
Minor: Pedophilia
The Veiled Kingdom by Holly Renee
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"๐๐ฒ๐ญ ๐๐ธ๐พ ๐ณ๐พ๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ต๐ต ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ช๐ท๐ญ๐ผ๐ธ๐ถ๐ฎ?โ [...] ๐๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ด๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ผ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ผ ๐ช๐ฐ๐ช๐ฒ๐ท, ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐ช๐ต๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ธ๐พ๐ฐ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ซ๐ฎ ๐ช๐ซ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ท๐ฝ๐ต๐ ๐ญ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ถ๐ธ๐ฟ๐ฎ, ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐๐ช๐ผ ๐พ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ต๐ ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฏ๐พ๐ป๐ฒ๐ช๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ. โ๐๐ฝโ๐ผ ๐ธ๐ด๐ช๐ ๐ฒ๐ฏ ๐๐ธ๐พ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ท๐ด ๐โ๐ถ ๐ฑ๐ช๐ท๐ญ๐ผ๐ธ๐ถ๐ฎ."
I would call this a dark, spicy romantasy with a little bit of dubcon.
Nyra is the "lost princess." She's escaped her palace home and the grasp of her cruel father, the King of Marmoris. While trying to plan her escape from the kingdom, she falls into the arms of the rebellion. She soon finds herself torn between two worlds and harbouring her secret identity when all she wants is her freedom. Dacre, the future leader of the rebellion, doesn't trust her; but he also can't resist the desire he feels for her.
This book won't be for everyone. There are questionable circumstances. I feel like if you don't love Dacre... you'll hate him, and the book is centred around lust rather than love (but I can't wait to see how this develops). I personally really enjoyed it.
Sometimes, I do find that the end of one chapter takes quite a big jump to the next scene, but there are honestly no dull moments.
Is this book complex with intricate magic systems, detailed world-building, and strong plot lines? No.
Is this book extremely fast-paced and easy to read with short chapters and steamy tension? Yes.
I flew through this book, and I'm looking forward to how this series develops! I would categorize this as a "guilty pleasure" type book.
Also: I'm not ready to talk about that ending.
I would call this a dark, spicy romantasy with a little bit of dubcon.
Nyra is the "lost princess." She's escaped her palace home and the grasp of her cruel father, the King of Marmoris. While trying to plan her escape from the kingdom, she falls into the arms of the rebellion. She soon finds herself torn between two worlds and harbouring her secret identity when all she wants is her freedom. Dacre, the future leader of the rebellion, doesn't trust her; but he also can't resist the desire he feels for her.
This book won't be for everyone. There are questionable circumstances. I feel like if you don't love Dacre... you'll hate him, and the book is centred around lust rather than love (but I can't wait to see how this develops). I personally really enjoyed it.
Sometimes, I do find that the end of one chapter takes quite a big jump to the next scene, but there are honestly no dull moments.
Is this book complex with intricate magic systems, detailed world-building, and strong plot lines? No.
Is this book extremely fast-paced and easy to read with short chapters and steamy tension? Yes.
I flew through this book, and I'm looking forward to how this series develops! I would categorize this as a "guilty pleasure" type book.
Also: I'm not ready to talk about that ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent
Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
"๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐
๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐
๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐. ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐."
I enjoyed this sequel to Butcher & Blackbird... but I'm going to say that the first book has a bigger hold on me.
Lachlan and Lark's story starts with a bang, quite literally. I was easily sucked into their story. I loved the banter, the movie references, the friendships, the spice, and the little glimpses we got into Rowan and Sloane's ongoing story.
I did find a few of the plotlines a little confusing. I didn't completely understand Lark's family business and the multiple layers to it. I would've liked to see a little bit more tension between the MCs; I love their characters, but... I don't love them quite as much as I love Rowan and Sloane. There were fewer gruesome details in this book than in the first, which was unfortunate because I love the squirm-inducing scenes from the first book so much.
I want to give a shout-out to Aunt Ethel, a new character and a complete gem. "Duchess" is also a new favourite pet name, but "Feckin' Catastrophe" was a great one too. I definitely had a few feet-kicking moments and loved the overall slow-burn romance in this book. The concert gig scene was incredibly buzz-worthy: IYKYK.
Butcher & Blackbird is a tough act to follow, but I think this was such a great continuation, and I'm so excited for the final story in The Ruinous Love Trilogy.
I enjoyed this sequel to Butcher & Blackbird... but I'm going to say that the first book has a bigger hold on me.
Lachlan and Lark's story starts with a bang, quite literally. I was easily sucked into their story. I loved the banter, the movie references, the friendships, the spice, and the little glimpses we got into Rowan and Sloane's ongoing story.
I did find a few of the plotlines a little confusing. I didn't completely understand Lark's family business and the multiple layers to it. I would've liked to see a little bit more tension between the MCs; I love their characters, but... I don't love them quite as much as I love Rowan and Sloane. There were fewer gruesome details in this book than in the first, which was unfortunate because I love the squirm-inducing scenes from the first book so much.
I want to give a shout-out to Aunt Ethel, a new character and a complete gem. "Duchess" is also a new favourite pet name, but "Feckin' Catastrophe" was a great one too. I definitely had a few feet-kicking moments and loved the overall slow-burn romance in this book. The concert gig scene was incredibly buzz-worthy: IYKYK.
Butcher & Blackbird is a tough act to follow, but I think this was such a great continuation, and I'm so excited for the final story in The Ruinous Love Trilogy.