kaitie_reads's reviews
143 reviews

"𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓬𝓲𝓻𝓬𝓾𝓼 𝓪𝓻𝓻𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓼 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰..." 

I really enjoyed this story, but parts of it did fall a little bit flat for me, too. 

On the one hand, this story is absolutely beautifully written. From the alternative POVs and timelines to the historical aspects to the vivid descriptions of the circus, the writing is phenomenal. Vivid imagery is always a sign of great storytelling to me, and I felt like this story appealed to all of my senses. You can smell and hear the circus by the descriptions, you can feel the excitement of the patrons, and you can taste the exquisite foods described. It's absolutely wonderfully descriptive storytelling. 

On the other hand, I didn't particularly feel invested in the characters or the storyline. The magic in the story is supposed to be perceived by the circus goers like it is a complex illusion, but it feels *too* magical to be seen as unreal. The characters are a bit flat, and their relationships were missing emotional ties. The ending still left me with some questions. The whole background to the plot felt a bit shallow and confusing. Also, I had a hard time getting into the story because it can be hard to follow the jumping timelines and POVs (the story jumps from different time periods and through multiple POVs throughout). 

I did really like how the story alluded to all of life having an everyday magic lingering just beneath the surface if you open your eyes and mind to it. The story does feel very magical, and I think it's a very unique concept and execution. BUT the magic of it all kind of overpowers the storyline and characters. If I had felt more connected to the characters and their outcomes, this would've easily been a 5⭐️ read for me.  

Vampires are back.🩸🦇
This was a really good read. 

It is a super quick read with some great dark gothic vibes. I loved reading from the POV of Constanta in the form of letters to her *beloved* Dracula. 

The story moves quickly through a vast period of time - and it is predictable - but the flowery prose and descriptive writing is so beautiful that it captivates you from the very beginning. 

I really love how the author painted a story of overcoming abuse and coming into your own power. Constanta, Magdalena, and Alexi were all loveable characters who formed an unbreakable bond as the brides of Dracula, basically a manipulative narcissist. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but I flew through it and loved the fresh take on this classic story.

I love Iris & Roman. This follow-up to Divine Rivals is so sweet. Rebecca Ross does not pull her punches, and she conveys the emotions and feelings of her characters beautifully.

Considering this was the end of the duology, I felt like there was a lot of worldbuilding. I also thought the ending was a little too fast after the slow pacing build-up. I almost wonder if this could've been a trilogy because of the story building. I also didn't feel like this book had quite the same charm as the first... however, there is definitely a plenitude of sweet and tender moments.

Iris, Roman, and all of the amazing side characters have captured my heart and also broken it into pieces. 

Overall, this duology was amazing, and I can't wait to read more from Rebecca Ross. Her writing is absolutely beautiful.  

It is also worth mentioning the beautiful dedication: 
🌸 "For anyone who sought a different realm through a wardrobe door, 
Who wrote a letter and is still waiting for a reply, 
Or who dreams of stories and bleeds words." 🌸

All of the stars. 🥹
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

This story is so beautifully written. The depth in the writing, the magical story, the bond between our rivals... it is all just exquisite. I would go as far as to say that this story is transcendent and absolutely divine. 

I was a little nervous to dive into this book because I wasn't sure that it would live up to the hype. I was so pleasantly surprised. I struggled a bit in the second half, and it was mostly because I couldn't see through the tears to keep reading. This book is tooth-achingly sweet, and it is now tattooed on my soul. 

One thing I will add is that I am so happy I have Ruthless Vows on hand to dive into right away. I don't think my heart would be able to wait for more of Roman and Iris. 

~ 

"It's odd how quickly life can change, isn't it? How one little thing like typing a letter can open a door you never saw. A transcendent connection. A divine threshold." 

This was... okay. I didn't really get the worldbuilding at all. The only mythology aspect in it was that the character had greek god/goddess names.... I don't think anyone had magic or anything of sort.  was just a weird power structure, and the rulers were famous? I'm still not really sure. 

I was hoping for more substance, more mythology, and just more in general.

It started out fairly well and quickly fell off for me. It's a modern world setting, spicy book with obscure power structures, and an obscure world that is maybe in the US because the characters reference american states and cities? I don't really get it. The papparazzi also follow them around, so that's weird. I think what really put me off was that one of the chapters had dialogue that was almost word for word 50 shades of Grey (although it doesn't have the same icky abuser disguised as a fake dom vibe). 

If you just want a spicy kind of 50 shades like maybe mafia romance book - with no real plot or actual tension - this would be a good pick for you. Although personally... I didn't think the spice was all that great, I found it tedious and repetitive. 

This book was ridiculously frustrating at times, but ultimately, I absolutely loved it, and it made me cry. If it weren't for the frustration caused by things left unsaid (which is pretty central to the storyline and unavoidable), it would've been a 5-star read. This is my first book by Emily Henry, and I really enjoyed the writing style. The banter was also an absolute delight... I laughed out loud multiple times. I will 100% be picking up more of her books.

Like the majority of people who read Fourth Wing... I absolutely loved it - so I wanted to give another book by RY a shot. I spotted this one at the library and picked it up, and it is also on theme for February as the month of *romance*. 

***Full disclaimer, I'm not very educated when it comes to the war in Afghanistan, and I didn't realize how much this would be a part of this story. There are certain parts of the story that have a white saviour complex, and I would've rated this higher before I looked into the controversy surrounding it. I think the setting for the majority of this story taking place in a war-torn Afghanistan is problematic, and there were a few scenes that gave me the ick because of that as well. Looking back on some of the quotes, I think RY was trying to write in a way that seems romantic but ends up with some passages and quotes that are pretty tone deaf***

Rebecca definitely shows her strong suit is writing romance in this book. I did find this story really engaging, and I read through it fairly quickly. So bonus points for that. 

Things I loved: 
- The relationship between our MC's 
- Our MMC Nate 
- Our FMC's sister Serena
- Easy and immersive read 
- The twist that explains it all 
- RY very successful conveys the emotions of our characters. I could feel the emotional response and angst. 

Things I didn't love: 
- Our FMC Izzy is dumb 
- The miscommunication trope 
- Some parts felt pretty unbelievable 
- Again - the damn miscommunication trope. I hate when this is a plot point. Living for years on a misunderstanding instead. of. talking. like. adult. people. 

I went into this one pretty blind and romance isn't my typical genre. While I did appreciate the story overall, the ick factor of an ongoing war zone setting AND (***slight spoiler warning but it's obvious from the beginning where the story is going***) the communication between characters who are meant to be irreparably in love, sucks

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

This book was really interesting. I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it, but I absolutely ATE. IT. UP. This book is very fast-paced, so while maybe lacking a little bit of description, it is a quick and immersive read. 

I requested this one because it has a beautiful cover and the promise to be reminiscent of Katherine Arden's The Bear and The Nightingale (The Winternight Trilogy is hands-down one of my favourite series ever). Also, the idea of a mortal woman competing in the underworld to become the bride of the god of death in order to save her village?  Sounds intriguing, right?! 

Erlik / Death is an amazing character. He is definitely morally grey (I actually don't know if he has any morals at all), but he has so many swoon worthy moments. His description is a little weird - more monster than human with multiple arms and eyes - so it was hard to picture what he actually looks like, but his dialogue and pining makes him very loveable. 

I didn't adore Zerryn, our FMC, I did like her sass and quick-wit, but she is a little dumb and so back and forth in how she feels throughout the book. It was a little bit difficult to connect with her for this reason... so I'm glad we had her backstory of growing up because I felt that helped to give me a connection to her from the beginning and overlook her flaws. 

Some of the side characters were the best part of the story, Beyza in particular... who is a somewhat cruel and lovable vampire.

I had a few hang-ups with the book, first of all the pacing felt a little choppy at times and I was confused about the setting (particularly in the beginning when we follow Zerryn as she grows up, which is very fast-paced). I'm not sure I loved the ending either, but I think everything was very conclusive. I also wish we had a bit more description of the Underworld, but I loved the overall gothic vibe and setting. 

A fair warning that the relationships are somewhat toxic, there is a love-triangle (but it's practically non-existent), and it reads very much as romantasy, which is definitely the main focus of the story. 

I was also excited to find out that F.M. Aden is a Canadian author, and I will definitely be picking up other books by her in the future.