sup3r_xn0va_maya's reviews
361 reviews

💬: -

📖Genres: middle grade, horror, humor

📚Page Count: 225

🎧Audiobook Length: 03h 09min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5/5 
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Shark Night by R. L. Stine is a story about Carlo, who's mom is a t.v show producer. Carlo's mom comes up with this wild t.v show idea to have a kid in a large water tank film a shark that they release. At first Carlo thinks he won't have to be the one in the tank, but he's wrong. Trying to calm his nerves, he grips his camera and then realizes that the producers didn't lower down the harmless and toothless hammerhead shark like they promised, they released a more deadly shark! Now Carlo is terrified, will he survive?

This was okay, it reminded me of some of the Goosebumps books I read when I was a kid. I think I enjoyed the Goosebumps series better but this was still okay. There are a lot of wacky characters and situations that Carlo gets into so I think any middle grader reading this will be entertained. 

The audio book narration was great, Ramon de Ocampo did a really good job narrator all the characters. They also helped keep the story interesting. 

This book was okay. I'm giving this 3 out of 5 stars. 
⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 3/5  Stars

Thank you [NetGalley.com], R.L. Stine (the author), and Blackstone Publishing (publisher) for the arc (advanced reader's copy) of the audiobook.

💬: "This female…there is no doubt in my mind that she was created for me, and me alone. She is my prize. Worthy of a Raku. So why is it then that I sense that something is wrong…

Stephens, Elizabeth. Taken to Voraxia: A SciFi Alien Romance (Xiveri Mates Book 1) (p. 22). Kindle Edition. 

📖Genres: romance, sci-fi, sci-fi romance, aliens, fantasy romance

📚Page Count: 358

🎧Audiobook Length: 10h 28min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - 3.5/5 
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*I read this story because it was recommended by romance author, Katee Roberts*

Taken to Voraxia by Elizabeth Stephens is the first book in the Xiveri Mates series. Miari is a survivor on the moon colony where, every three years invading aliens, the Voraxians, come "hunt" for the most beautiful women on the colony. The aliens take the women away and then they don't return for another three years. It's a pact between the moon colony rulers and the King of the Voraxians. This time the King of Voraxia, Raku, is here himself and he's set his eyes on Miari. Miari decides that she is not going to be taken by the King so she sets up an escape plan with a few of her friends. The plan does not go smoothly and Miari needs to be rescued by Raku and soon after she's taken to Voraxia to be the King's mate. Will Miari and Raku end up getting along or will Miari keep trying to escape?

(TW - mention of sexual assaults' and rape)
I really enjoyed most of this book, I was interested in the story the entire time I was listening to the audiobook. I do have an issue with WHY Miari tries so hard to get away from Raku at first. It's explained in the story that the previous hunts on the women on the moon colony

had been horrible, brutish, kidnap fests where the women always ended up sexually assaulted and brutally raped. This doesn't happen on page, it's just explained. It's also explained later that those same women who were raped were sent back to the moon colony, probably impregnated by their alien captors. In the end they almost all were forced to have an abortion because their bodies could not withstand the pregnancy process with that alien species.

 

(TW - mention of sexual assaults' and rape)
Another issue I had was with the climax scene at the end of the book. One of the main characters friends is

attacked with the threat of rape and then a fight and struggle is described but no rape occurs in the end, as the character is saved from the perpetrator.

I don't understand the itching need for sci-fi romance authors to include so much sexual assault in their stories. This is the second sci-fi romance I've read (the first being Ice Planet Barbarians, and I gave that a 2 stars because

there's an alien gang rape scene at the very beginning of the story, it's definitely described as that.)

I'm tired of the women always being threated with being sexually assaulted!

The audiobook narrators were great! I really loved the voice actors for both Miari and Raku. I could listen to the voice actor for Raku speak all day. I believe the audiobook was actually published by the author herself. The quality is good and I enjoyed listening to the story.

The spicy scenes were really good, I really enjoyed them. The two main characters have a few miscommunication issues but once they start properly communicating, the intimate scenes are so sensual and romantic. I'm giving the spicy scenes four chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ out of five chilies

Overall, I liked this book but I did have a problem with the threat of sexual assault always looming so I'm knocking off a star for that. 
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - 3.5/5  Stars


I listened to this audiobook for free on [Libbyapp.com]

💬: "Kiss her? “I shouldn’t. I can’t.” Though gods, Geryon wanted to, desperately, and found his gaze straying to her lips. They were lush and red. Glistening. His mouth watered for a taste of them. His horns, sensitive to his emotions as they were, throbbed."

Showalter, Gena. The Darkest Fire (Lords of the Underworld) (p. 41). HQN Books. Kindle Edition. 

📖Genres: romance, paranormal romance, paranormal, mythology, demons, novella, supernatural, urban fantasy

📚Page Count: 82

🎧Audiobook Length: 01h 54min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️.5 - 2.5/5 
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The Darkest Fire is a novella and the first story in the Lords of the Underworld series by Gena Showalter (it's considered to be chronologically book 0.5.) Geryon, Guardian of Hell is the guardian of hell and he meets Kadence, Goddess of Oppression at the gates of hell regularly but this time Kadence notices a crack in the gates of hell, and demons start pouring out. Geryon and Kadence decide to fight back and escape hell together. Will they make it to the surface? 

This was honestly a bit below average. I couldn't tell if the two main characters were fated mates and because of that their romance and intimacy really felt rushed and like it was instant love/instant lust. By the end of the novella I understood what the point of the story was, which is

to tell how Pandora's Box was created in this universe.

This was not interesting in the slightest and the dialogue was really corny. I only finished this because it's a novella and very short and because I want give this series another chance by reading the next book and I wanted to have this read before I started the first novel in the "Lords of the Underworld" series.

The spicy scene in this novella was uninteresting. The whole act of them being intimate felt rushed, to be honest. It was definitely an instalove/instalust situation. I don't even remember if the story clarified if they're fated mates or not. I'm giving the spicy scenes two point five chilies 🌶️🌶️.5 out of five chilies

Overall, this was a below average introduction to the Lords of the Underworld series, though I will be continuing the series with book 1, "The Darkest Night", in hopes that it's better than this novella. I'm giving this 3 out of 5 stars. 
⭐️⭐️.5 - 2.5/5  Stars


I listened to this audiobook for free on [Libbyapp.com]

💬:“He swung, but Celaena struck, ramming her fist into his arm, sending the blade soaring through the air. In the same breath, her palm hit his left arm, knocking it aside, too. As he staggered back, her leg came up, and Verin’s eyes bulged as her foot slammed into his chest. The kick sent him flying, and his body crunched as it hit the floor and slid out of the ring, instantly eliminating him. The hall was utterly silent."

Maas, Sarah J.. Throne of Glass (pp. 217-218). Bloomsbury Publishing. Kindle Edition. 

📖Genres: fiction, fantasy,  young adult, romance, romantasy

📚Page Count: 423

🎧Audiobook Length: 13hrs 04mins

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 3/5


The Throne of Glass is the first book in the series of the same name, Throne of Glass, by Sarah J. Maas. Celaena Sardothien is an assassin who is being tasked with killing 23 mercenaries, theives, and warriors in a competition held by the king. Celaena agrees to fight in this tournament in order to win her freedom. Suddenly, the competitors starts dying one by one outside of the competition and Celaena has to wonder, "am I next?" Something evil may be in the castle and Celaena is determined to find out but she's also determined to survive.

There were somethings that worked for me in this story and then there were somethings that didn't work for me. I was very much expecting this book to be more adventurous and have more action than it did. We're reading about an assassin in a combative tournament, I just expected more fight scenes. What I didn't expect was the political intrigue and the focus on going to fancy balls and events held by royalty, I found these parts to be particularly boring. 

There was a romance element in this story and I don't think it worked for me, but I almost think everything else in the story worked just fine. At one point the author tries to fake the reader out and she starts to write what could be see as a love triangle and this just doesn't work for me. I feel like Celaena has nothing in common with the prince and I find that the captain of the guard seemed to mesh well with the main character more than the prince did.  

I liked that there was sort of a mystery as to who's killing off the contenders and what's lurking in the castle. I found the fighting scenes and the investigative scenes to be the most interesting parts of this book. The ending was fine, just a standard cliff hanger ending to lure you into reading the rest of the series.

I think that overall, this story was okay. There were some elements I didn't like, like the romance and the love triangle stuff. There were other things I really liked, like the fighting scenes and the parts that focused on the mystery at hand. I do plan on reading the second book in this series, book two will probably determine if I listen to the entire series. I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 3/5

I listened to this audiobook on [LibbyApp.com]

💬: “To see and listen to the wicked is already the beginning of wickedness. —Confucius

Abby, S.T.. Sidetracked (Mindf*ck Series Book 2) (p. 28). S.T. Abby. Kindle Edition. 

📖Genres: romance, dark, thriller, mystery, crime, novella

📚Page Count: 115

🎧Audiobook Length: 03h 08min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 


Sidetracked is the second novella in The Mindf*ck Series by S. T. Abby. Lana is being questioned by member of Logan's team and now the serial killer known as "The Boogie Man" is after Lana because of she's dating Logan. While all this is happening, Lana is still going along with her plan of revenge. She's still risking everything to remove child abusers from the world. Will Logan find out about Lana hidden murder spree? Will The Boogie Man attack Lana to get at Logan?

Overall, this story was just as entertaining as the first novella. Part two was a little more complicated than part one because there is so much more information, story elements, and characters being added to the story. The story is beginning to get complicated with all the characters that have been added, and because the story is a novella it moves at a fast past. Maybe too fast? I'm worried that with the next installation of the story, I'll start to get lost with the names of the growing cast of characters within such a short book. 

Like the first novella, or part one, there were a few spicy scenes. I think it's wonderful that Lana feels safe with Logan enough to trust him and be intimate with him. I still don't think spicy scenes fit in-between scenes of the ped0s and child abusers getting murdered. I'm giving it one chili 🌶️🌶️ out of five chilies

Overall, this novella was just as good as the first one, although the subject matter is a bit triggering.  I'm giving this 4 stars out of 5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5

I listened to this audiobook for free on [HooplaDigital.com]

 💬: “That was the biggest problem with getting used to someone, she thought. You were lonely when they weren’t there."

Robb, J.D.. Naked in Death (In Death, Book 1) (p. 347). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

📖Genres: romance, dark, thriller, mystery, crime, suspense

📚Page Count: 373

🎧Audiobook Length: 10h 17min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️ 2/5 


Naked in Death is the first book in the "In Death" series by J.D Robb (who is actually romance writer, Nora Roberts). In the year 2058 Detective Eve Dallas is residing in New York when she gets a case where a senator's daughter is murdered and it's discovered that the vicitim was a full service sex worker. The case then becomes a high profile case and Dallas enters a world of politics in order to track down the killer. While the case is taking place, Dallas becomes enthralled with Roarke, one of the leading suspects. Is Dallas' attraction to Roarke leading her to disaster or will she find the murderer and close the case?

I think overall this story was okay, there were things I liked and things I didn't like. I really have issues with Roarke because

he's very controlling and seems to not take "no" for an answer.

I found it a bit disturbing how the sex workers in the book were talked about but I keep trying to remind myself that this was written in 1995 and there are going to be some characters who are against sex workers because of prejudice so their dialogue about the sex workers reflects that. I did like how this takes place in the future, and all the futuristic and scientific advancements and inventions in the story were clever and very interesting. I also like how I didn't guess what the ending was going to be until it was already in motion and being explained to the reader. 

The spicy scenes in here were either the beginning of murder scenes or they were intended to be sexy but were lacking consent, and in these instances it was evident that this novel was written in the 90s. The love interest has the idea that he knows what the main character wants more than she does, and so he's not respecting her boundaries. In fact, the love interest keeps pushing up against Eve's boundaries in the hopes that he can bend them. I'm giving it zero chilies 🌶️ out of five chilies.

Overall, this novel had it's issues but it also had some interesting elements. I think the lack of consent when it came to the love interest was a big issue with the story. I really enjoyed the ending, it was action packed and even though I still had questions at the end I definitely didn't guess that it was going to end the way it did. Instead of giving this novel 1 stars for the lack of consent all throughout, I'm giving this 2 stars out of 5.
⭐️⭐️
2/5

I listened to this audiobook for free on [Libbyapp.com]

💬: “Einstein said, “The weak revenge. The strong forgive. The intelligent ignore.” 
F*ck that. Einstein wasn’t always right."

Abby, S.T.. The Risk (Mindf*ck Series #1) (p. 6). Kindle Edition. 

📖Genres: romance, dark, thriller, mystery, crime, novella

📚Page Count: 132

🎧Audiobook Length: 03h 28min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 

TW -

The Risk is the first novella in The Mindf*ck Series by S. T. Abby. The Risk is about Lana, a victim of sex trafficking, who decides to get revenge on the men who harmed her and left her for dead. To make things complicated, Lana has started dating Logan who happens to be an FBI agent. Will Lana be able to finish her revenge mission or will she get caught by her new boyfriend, the FBI agent?

I think overall this story was entertaining, I'm not a fan of how short it is and how it ends on a cliff hanger. The novella ends at just over 130 pages and that's why it ended on a cliff hanger. I think the story is good for what it is so far, I can feel the thriller element in the book. I do like how the story is literally a mix of the shows "Criminal Minds" and "Dexter" and that mix itself is interesting. 

There were a few spicy scenes, they were just okay. I feel like because there's multiple murders going around and there's gore in the book that sex wouldn't really fit and I maintain that idea. This is my first dark romance and I just can't get into the spicy scenes when someone was graphically murdered a few pages beforehand. I'm giving it two chilies 🌶️🌶️ out of five chilies

Overall, this novella was interesting.  I'm giving this 4 stars out of 5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5

I listened to this audiobook for free on [HooplaDigital.com]

💬: "The wind blew her hair forward, surrounding him in a silken wave of deepest brown threaded with black. He closed his eyes, drew in her scent. “I can wait,” he said when he opened his eyes. “For you, Kaia Luna, I’ll wait an eternity.”

Singh, Nalini. Ocean Light (Psy-Changeling Trinity Book 2) (p. 285). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

📖Genres: paranormal romance, romance, urban fantasy, adult

📚Page Count: 403

🎧Audiobook Length: 12h 52min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 

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Silver Silence is the 17th book in the Psy/Changeling series and 2nd in the Psy/Changeling Trinity series both by Nalini Singh. Ocean Light is about human Security specialist Bowen Knight and Kaia Luna who is a former scientist turned cook where Bowen is being taken care of

because he suffered a major injury in the last book trying to save his sister

. Kaia is eventually kidnapped by those who mean to harm her and Bowen will do anything to save her. 

This book was interesting half of the time and boring the other half of the time. This book was more interesting than the one before it (Silver Silence) but it's still not as exciting as some of the original Psy/Changeling novels. Eventually Bowen and Kaia grew on me as a couple but it definitely took some time. I'm okay with the books being as long as they are, I just wished it was entertaining all the way through instead of only being exciting at select parts. 

I would say the spicy scenes were okay but I'm struggling to remember any of them, needless to say they weren't memorable. I'm giving it two chilies 🌶️🌶️ out of five chilies

Overall, Ocean Light was just better than the last book in the series, Silver Silence, but half the time the book was a bit boring. I'm getting a little concerned because so far The Trinity series hasn't really impressed me. This wasn't a terrible book, but it wasn't amazing either. I'm giving this book 3 stars out of 5. 
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on the library app [HooplaDigital.com]

💬: "Be wary what you read, Big Barda. Knowledge without scrutiny is poison."

Ukazu, Ngozi. Barda (pg. 111) DC Comics. NetGalley Advanced Reader's Copy Edition.

📖Genres: comics, graphic novels, super heroes, DC Comics, romance

📚Page Count: 191

🎧Audiobook Length: 00h 00min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5 
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Barda by Ngozi Ukazu is a comic published by DC Comics about the anti-hero, Big Barda. The story takes place on Apokolips and it's about the leader of the Female Furies on Apokolips, Big Barda. Barda has secretly thinking about the ideal of love, something that isn't talking about, accepted, or allowed on Apokolips. Granny Goodness the boss of the furies thinks that Barda is becoming too soft, so she's given Barda the task of torturing their new prisoner, Scott Free. Somehow, Barda finds herself allured by Scott Free. Will Barda be able to help Scott or will she stomp out this new ideal of love?

I think this graphic novel was entertaining and exciting. I loved that we get a backstory on Big Barda (even though it wasn't extensive) and that we get to see what it's like for her being the leader of the furies. Speaking of the furies, I really loved that each one of them had their own personalities. That was so pleasant. I also enjoyed the art style throughout the entire graphic novel. 

Overall I really enjoyed what this graphic novel had to offer. I love the art and I love that we get a Big Barda comic that shows the different sides to her as a character. This was an emotional story and it was told very well. I'm giving this 4 out of 5 stars. 
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5  Stars

Thank you [NetGalley.com], Ngozi Ukazu (the author), and DC Comics (publisher) for the arc (advanced reader's copy) of the audiobook.

💬: He pointed at my drink. 
"What are you drinking?"
"Malibu Sunrise, it's delicious"
'It looks good but I can't be seen drinking that."
I blinked rapidly, "Oh?" 

Allen, Danielle. Curvy Girl Summer (Chapter 6, p.?). Bramble. NetGalley Advanced Reader's Copy. 

📖Genres: romance, contemporary, contemporary romance

📚Page Count: 210

🎧Audiobook Length: 12h 23min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5/5 
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Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen is about Aaliyah James a plus sized 29 year old who wants to find a boyfriend for her 30th birthday celebration. Aaliyah's family members think that she's getting older and her time find a boyfriend, get married, and have children is running out. Annoyed with her family's comments, she lets them know that she does have a boyfriend and that he'll be at her 30th birthday celebration. She doesn't have a boyfriend yet but with online dating, how hard could finding one be? When the first date goes not as planned, the local bartender, at the bar where the date took place seems to be kind and funny enough to make Aaliyah feel hopeful about finding more people to date. The more she spends time with Ahmad the closer she feels to him. Will she find a boyfriend in time for her birthday and will he be from the online dating app "Tinderfish" or will he be the funny, handsome, and caring bartender?

Reading this book was such a great reading experience. This is my first slow burn romance novel and now I still why people like this trope so much. There's so much built up sexual an romantic tension and it feels as if everything will erupt during the climax of the book. I loved how Aaliyah and Ahmad teased each other relentlessly, it was so cute. It was so nice that they both loved concerts, live shows, and music in general. The miscommunication trope was in there and it was so annoying, like the situation was very obvious but the main character was just not getting it. That was annoying but the book was so good overall that I'm not going to change my rating because of that annoyance. Something the author did a really good job of including is what it feels like to be a plus size woman dating with dating apps and websites in the real world.  

The audio book narrator was really good, I enjoyed their voice for all the characters. Sometimes when an author voices several or many characters some of the voices sound off but that was NOT the case with Wesleigh Siobhan and their narration. All of the words are clear and concise and the individual voices they use for each character fits so well with the story. 

Talk about a slow burn! There are two spicy scenes and let me be honest, the spicy scenes don't start happening until well over 80% through the book. The scenes come late in the book but I honestly think it was worth it. I don't really like spicy scenes with unprotected sex with almost strangers or first time lovers, though I did like the scenes in general. I'm giving the spicy scenes four chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️out of five chilies

This book was a pleasant surprise! I really enjoyed myself while listening to this audiobook. It was fantastic. I'm giving this 5 out of 5 stars. 
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5/5  Stars

Thank you [NetGalley.com], Danielle Allen (the author), and Macmillan Audio (publisher) for the arc (advanced reader's copy) of the audiobook.