thelibraryskeeper's reviews
611 reviews

The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Carissa has done it again. Her writing is so world consuming I swear it's like being hung over when I finish one of her books.

My reason for taking a star off here is it took a while for me to get into this one. I understand why it was a slow build and upon finishing the book I get why it was important but still. It was a push to get into. One there I flew through the rest of the book.
The Scarlet Throne by Amy Leow

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thanks to Oribit and Netgalley for sending this ARC my way! 

Binsa is a goddess. A false one. She is bound to a demon using his powers to hold her place as the living goddess. In her role, she will be replaced as soon as she comes of age. Delaying that is only possible for so long. Just how much will she give to keep her seat on The Scarlet Throne? 

It was incredibly interesting reading a book based on the actual living goddesses of Nepal. When I was reading about them in preparation for this book I wondered what would happen if one of them didn't want to give up the role and this book literally played out that question.
The Poisoner by I.V. Ophelia

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Before I write anything here. This book is dark. Be aware of this and read the warnings before going into this. That said, this book is gorgeously written. It's dripping with details and wraps you into the world ao thoroughly it's hard to stop reading. Vampire novels aren't new to me, but I've never read one like this. 
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Gold by Raven Kennedy

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adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I waited as long as I could to start Gold so I wouldn't have to wait long to read Goldfinch and now I know for certain that I'm glad I made this choice because oh my god that was a wild ride. Auren is on her own learning about her history and herself. Slade has literally fully embraced his villan era. Gold was the PERFECT set up for what I am SURE is going to be the perfect conclusion to the series. 
Barbarian Mine by Ruby Dixon

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adventurous emotional funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Well that was a fun read. I've really been wondering about the big blue alien men since I started reading more monster romance. I have to say Rukh was basically a sweet golden retriever. God this man is so doting on his woman. Their relationship was precious and I loved seeing how they grew together. Overall a quick fun Lil read.
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 1%.
I wasn't feeling the premise of this one right now. I'll probably give it a go again at a later time.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I went into this knowing absolutely nothing about the plot or the author. This book is a gorgeously told story of acceptance, found family, and coming into ourselves. It left me feeling all warm and fuzzy. The writing was so effortless and the story was original and an absolute joy to read.
Priest by Sierra Simone

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 47%.
I didn't know I had a limit on how spicy I could take but I found it. This was basically reading porn. It just felt plotless to me. Idk what I expected but I am glad I at least gave it a go. It's okay that it's just not for me.
The Tournament of Heirs by Amilea Perez

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Every 25 years The Tournament of Heirs is held and two heirs from each kingdom are sent to compete to the death. For Metztli and Acalan Amos, training and preparing for the Tournament has been their entire lives purpose. But even being prepared isn't enough for what the gods have in store for them.
The Tournament of Heirs is set in the rich culture of the Aztec people. Amilea has crafted this world to be so immersive that I often struggled to put the book down the more I read. There is beautifully written, complex sibling relationships, forbidden romance, bloodshed, and one very good dog (don't worry he's okay at least for now).
It's hard to believe this is a debut novel with not only how well it's written but also how well developed the world and mythos is. Amilea has crafted a novel that beautifully reflects her culture and should be incredibly proud of that. 
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Mistress of Hours by Emma Elizabeth

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adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No
I am withholding my rating for the time being as I did not enjoy this book as much as I'd hoped and I'd like the author to have a fair go on release day.

I loved the concept of blood magic and how well explained it was. I don't think I've read something quite like this before. 
The dialogue However, is very poorly written. All interactions in the book are not well done. The writing in these instances feels juvenile. It was so odd that the magic system and the world were generally so well written and then the general conversations between characters weren't. 

The sex scenes were not well written in the sense that the language used was overly consensual if possible? The characters were so busy asking permission barely anything got done and it's over in like 2.5 seconds.  I love a good breeding kink and knotting so I was totally fine with those subjects. Be aware that these are present in detail. 
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