kaitie_reads's reviews
143 reviews

"𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓷𝓸 𝓼𝓸𝓯𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓸 𝓫𝓮 𝓬𝓸𝓭𝓭𝓵𝓮𝓭." 𝓗𝓲𝓼 𝓿𝓸𝓲𝓬𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓼𝓸𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓸𝓷'𝓼 𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓼𝓽 𝓻𝓪𝓲𝓷, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓼𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝔂 𝓲𝓽 𝓰𝓵𝓲𝓭𝓮𝓭 𝓾𝓹𝓸𝓷 𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓼𝓴𝓲𝓷. "𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓫𝓸𝓵𝓭𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓾𝓷, 𝓢𝓲𝓰𝓷𝓪 𝓕𝓪𝓻𝓻𝓸𝔀, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓲𝓽'𝓼 𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓫𝓾𝓻𝓷."

Dark, atmospheric, and somewhat spooky with a suspenseful "whodunnit" theme throughout. 

Death follows Signa Farrow wherever she goes. She feels that she is cursed and she is often accused of being a witch, but all she wants is to fit into the high society that surrounds her. In this book, Death takes a physical form as the reaper. He has taunted Signa for her entire life, always lurking in the shadows, and it seems as though she is never far from his grasp. 

I loved the historic vibe, the suspense, and the swoon-worthy romantic tension throughout the pages of this book. This book has beautiful descriptive prose, and Thorn Grove is such a hauntingly beautiful setting. Personally, I'm a complete sucker for haunted manors and dark gothic settings. The Secret Garden is one of my favourite classic novels, and I felt that there were a lot of nods to that particular story in this one.

I did find Signa a little bit frustrating at times in her refusal to embrace who she is at the core, but her character growth is immaculate. Also, I think that the plot is at times predictable, but there were definitely some twists that I didn't see coming. 

I appreciate that there is enough closure to finish this book off, but enough suspense to keep the reader interested in picking up the next book.

A suspenseful gothic YA thriller that makes for the perfect rainy day read.

I was honoured to be a beta and ARC Reader for this whimsical love story. An Arrow to the Heart is a cozy fantasy debut with cottagecore vibes, MCs over 30, and a healthy dose of spice.

The story follows Sylvie and Ardal, a fae healer and a nomad adventurer (+ his loveable pup) brought together by fate when Ardal is injured early on in the story. It's a quick and easy-read fantasy, with fairly low stakes. It's the perfect story to read under a warm blanket with a hot drink. 

Read this one if you love: 
💘 Forced Proximity
💘 Cottagecore Vibes 
💘 Healer and Patient 
💘 Curvy FMC (+ she's older!) 
💘 Mutual Pining 
💘 Spice with Great Banter 

Thank you so much to K.R. Bacher for entrusting me to provide feedback on your lovely story. I can't wait for more "Alehouse Tales". This story works well as a palate cleanser and a sweet love story to boot.

"I was not surprised by the portrait of myself: the proud witch undone before the hero's sword, kneeling and begging for mercy. Humbling women seems to me a chief pastime of poets. As if there can be no story unless we crawl and weep." 

I really enjoyed the story of Circe in this Greek mythology retelling. I love this trend of taking age-old stories but spinning them to focus on the female heroines who have traditionally been the lesser-known and discussed side characters within the formidable male hero journey. 

We follow Circe as she grows from a curious and lonely child, who is basically cast out by her own family and ignored for being unique. She is not powerful, like her father or a beautiful temptress like her mother. The loneliness in this book hits hard. Circe has a very sad story, and once she is banished, I love her connection to the island Aiaia and her creatures, but her loneliness is still poignant throughout her story. Her desperation for connection or understanding comes through and is clear in each tragic interaction she has. 

Circe's story is told quickly as it spans throughout centuries, but due to the slow nature of life in banishment, it feels like a slow burn. As someone who isn't super familiar with Greek mythology I had a bit of a difficult time with all of the names and connections at first but I found as I read it became easier to make those connections. 

An excellent immersive read.

Grotesque. Brilliant. Putrid. Gorgeous. 

This is the kind of book where you have no idea where it's going to go, but once it triggers your curiosity - no matter how disturbing it might get - it's a book you can't put down. 

This story is deeply unsettling, and you can't help but root for the protagonist,  Noemí. Noemí is feminine, fierce, determined, and intelligent. She doesn't back down. I loved her character. It's one of my pet peeves when the FMC assumes the damsel in distress role and never takes charge. Noemí is no damsel in distress. She is a character that questions everything, she doesn't let people undermine her character, and she's realistically curious and apprehensive of her situation. 

The dark atmospheric setting of High Place completely draws you in. A classic haunted house vibe complete with an odd cult-like and prejudiced family, a disgustingly terrifying head of household and abnormally vacant servants. The twists and turns were unexpected and at times horrifying, but I couldn't look away.

I did find the ending a little bit rushed, but overall, it was a really good read, and I loved the descriptive writing that the author uses throughout. 

"Noemí, just because there are no ghosts, it doesn’t mean you can’t be haunted. Nor that you shouldn’t fear the haunting."

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

Disclaimer: going in, I didn't know this was a sequel, but after reading reviews where other reviewers mentioned that it can be read as a standalone, that is what I did. I think the worldbuilding and character backgrounds from the first book would've given me more context, but this has not altered my review.

This sapphic read follows a sweet selkie named Maeve and a broody vampire (Lizzie) as they join together to search for Maeve's lost pelt and Lizzie's family heirlooms. What they don't expect is to grow in their undeniable attraction to one another.

I love how the author used inspiration from folklore (like the Selkie Wife) for this story. The journey was interesting, but I felt like some of the problems and conflicts that our characters faced were solved a little too easily. Maeve and Lizzie are both a little frustrating at times, too, but I love how they grew in their understanding of one another. I also loved the nautical pirate aspect of this romantasy story.

"By you, I am forever undone." 

A wonderful conclusion. 
Contrary to popular opinion, I think that this was my least favourite book in the original trilogy, but I loved it all the same. 

There is a lot of character growth and healing in this book. We see familial bonds grow stronger. We see a lot more romance. We see Jude struggle between choosing her heart or her logic after so much betrayal. When this trilogy gets hyped up for the romantic element, it's definitely because of this book.

This book is an ode to staying true to yourself even when it seems like your hands are tied. Jude always finds a way to take control of the situation even when others try to take away the control that she has. 

Holly Black keeps us on our toes with the twists and turns. I wasn't sure what I expected... but some of these twists blindsided me. 

Overall a wonderful trilogy, I loved the worldbuilding, I loved the faeries. The high stakes and twists kept me turning the pages quickly, and the dash of romance tied it all together. I'll definitely be reading more of the Elfhame books.

This sequel was spectacular. I am now totally invested in this trilogy, and that ending was mind-blowing. I'm flabbergasted. 

I love Jude. She grows so much in this book, and she is carrying the entire fate of Elfhame and the faeries in her hands. It still stands that she is one of my favourite FMCs. She's ruthless, doesn't back down, and she makes mistakes, but she always takes charge of her story, and overall, she favours logic. She is no damsel in distress. I can't wait to see how she develops more in The Queen of Nothing. 

We get so much more of Cardan in this book, too, his sad childhood background and the way he's dismissed for being "feckless"; but underneath that cocky prince demeanour, he's got some schemes of his own. 

Jude's sisters are both terrible, and I don't like them. I think my biggest complaint is how loyal she stays to them when they are so dismissive of her. 

The twists and turns this book takes. I'm still reeling. 

Holly Black has taken a dark fairytale setting and mixed in delightful romantic tension, political intrigue, and a dramatic dose of betrayal. I have no idea who to trust or where this story is going to go, but I'm determined to find out.

New word: Tarynble 

Taryn sucks.

Loved it! 

Honestly, I debated whether to rate this 4 or 5 stars, but considering I devoured it within a few days, I'm just going to go with 4.5⭐️. 

I think a lot of my love for this book stems from the fact that I read a lot of similar books as a child, but this reads darker and more adult. Yes, it is YA, and the characters act their age (for the first few chapters, I was worried it would read a little too YA for my preferences), but it's a brilliant story. 

The story starts with a bang. There is no slow introduction to the realm of Elfhame, but rather, we are thrust right into the story like a sword to the gut. 

Jude is one of the best FMCs I've come across in a while. She's calculated, strong, and badass. But, as the reader, we also get to glimpse how much she masks her feelings to survive and thrive, which makes her feel very real and relatable. She always stands back up when she gets knocked down, even if she's shaking in her boots. 

One thing I will mention is that I see this story discussed in romantasy circles, but there is little to no romance, and it's definitely more of a subplot (at least in this first book). I see this story more as a tribute to finding resilience in the face of adversity and not backing down despite what the world expects and what others might think of you. 

I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes in The Wicked King.