After visiting Starling House one night, Opal finds herself drawn back to the sprawling spooky mansion. She ends up convincing the owner, A 3.5 stars
After visiting Starling House one night, Opal finds herself drawn back to the sprawling spooky mansion. She ends up convincing the owner, Arthur, into reluctantly giving her a cleaning job. But there's more to Starling House than meets the eye, and the house wants Opal...
I thought this was a great, atmospheric, spooky little book. It came to my attention when I saw the author Alix Harrow speak at the LA Festival of books and I put it on my tbr after her panel. This is one of those books where I really did like it, but it had a stronger start than finish. I thought Opal and her brother Jasper were such fun characters with a great relationship. Arthur was very intriguing. I just think some of the pacing and plot lacked a bit, hence 3.5 stars and not a higher rating....more
While driving to a vacation destination, Elsy gets lost in a rainstorm and ends up in a small town. After staying the night, she wakes up to discover While driving to a vacation destination, Elsy gets lost in a rainstorm and ends up in a small town. After staying the night, she wakes up to discover she's driven into her favorite book series. Now Elsy gets to meet all of her favorite characters and see all the places she's read about. As Elsy gets to know everyone, she notices the characters seemed to be stuck, but Elsy's arrival has changed everything.
This book hit me at the exact right time and I absolutely loved it. It reminded me a lot concept wise of that British TV miniseries Lost in Austen where the main character entered the world of Pride and Prejudice. There's something very endearing about this book with Elsy getting to know her favorite characters and realizing not everything is as it seems. Elsy getting over her past trauma was a big part of this book and I thought it was done very well. I also loved the romance with Anders: I did guess the twist early on because there was a huge hint, but knowing that just enhanced the story for me and didn't take anything away from it.
I've read three books by Ashley Poston and all of them have been a hit for me. I really cannot wait to see what she writes next, she's an auto-buy author now.
Thank you Berkley for my finished copy of this book for review! ...more
The first 50 pages were really strong, but the lack of worldbuilding or character development made it fall flat for me. Very glad we DNF at about 50%.
The first 50 pages were really strong, but the lack of worldbuilding or character development made it fall flat for me. Very glad we are getting more queer romantasy, especially a FFA one....more
When Mercy's brother Gary shows up at her house incoherent and affected by magic, Mercy and Adam head to Montana to see if they can break the 4 stars
When Mercy's brother Gary shows up at her house incoherent and affected by magic, Mercy and Adam head to Montana to see if they can break the spell. There they find themselves trapped in a resort in the midst of a snowstorm with other guests of the lodge. But not everything is as it seems and Mercy and Adam must find a magical artifact before even worse things begin to happen.
Let me start this with I am being very kind with my 4 star rating. Any other author or series I probably would have rated much lower, but I absolutely love this series and Mercy. But this book really was not up to the standards of the other books in this series. It was very disjointed with bad pacing and took me a very long time to read. But it's like pizza, even when it's bad, it's good. And I'll always welcome more of these characters and this world into my life. I just hope the next installment in the series is more plot forward than this book. This book felt a lot like a side quest.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley. This did not affect my opinions, thoughts, rating, review. ...more
Book 2 in the Dark Rise series, you need to have read book 1 before reading this one. If you haven't, maybe avoid reading my review as it 3.75 stars
Book 2 in the Dark Rise series, you need to have read book 1 before reading this one. If you haven't, maybe avoid reading my review as it may contain spoilers for book 1. Also I won't do any summary, just thoughts on the book.
Dark Heir started out very slow for me, to the point that I almost quit at about 35%. There were a lot of new things thrown at us and lots of names to keep track of, but it got a lot better by the end of the book. I was sad we didn't get more of Violet in this book as she's my favorite character, but it made sense as other plot points needed to be pushed forward.
I am very excited for book 3 but nervous as there's no release date. I really want to know what happens mostly because (view spoiler)[ I was so frustrated with how quickly all of Will's friends turned on him once they found out he was the dark king. (hide spoiler)].
So if you get frustrated reading this push through because the end was great....more
Unpopular opinion time: This series should have ended with the second book.
This third book was overly long and over-explained SO MUCH, which yes the fUnpopular opinion time: This series should have ended with the second book.
This third book was overly long and over-explained SO MUCH, which yes the first books also did, but not to this extent. I loved all of the characters in books 1 and 2 and became so attached to them and with this book I did not care at all what happened to them. I almost wish I hadn't read this book and just lived in ignorant bliss with the first two. I devoured the first two books and it took me over two months to finish this one because it was so slow and boring.
I'll still read Novik in the future, but this book made me think she was given too much freedom with her writing and I really wish an editor had come in and cut off a lot of the over-explaining of things because it was just too much....more
A beautifully written fantasy, this book was one of my more happy surprise reads this year!
Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of the Governor, and her A beautifully written fantasy, this book was one of my more happy surprise reads this year!
Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of the Governor, and her mother is Amrithi, outcasts in society. But being half-Amrithi means Mehr has inherited magic and those in power seek to use it for their own gain.
As I said before this book was written so beautifully and I loved listening along to the story. It's not necessarily groundbreaking, but also it doesn't have to be! (I say this because of reviews I saw complaining about that). I loved Mehr and Amun and the wonderful love story they had in this book. Amun is one of the great book boyfriends!
I do wish this book had been slightly shorter, but otherwise I loved it....more
Wow that ending! So glad I have the next book ready to go, I can't imagine if I had to wait for the third book to be released!
The Last Gra 4.5 stars!
Wow that ending! So glad I have the next book ready to go, I can't imagine if I had to wait for the third book to be released!
The Last Graduate is the second book in the Scholomance series, picking up right where book one left off. El has been warned by her mother to stay away from her friend (and possibly something more) Orion. El has bigger things on her mind, like trying to make it through the deadly event that is graduation.
I won't say much else plot-wise, but I had a really fun time reading this book. I do think Novik can get a little bit tedious with the spellcasting bits and the schooling parts, but she's very good at world-building and that's essentially what that all was. Novik has never been one to make characters I really like in the past, but this series is different. I love El as an unlikable female heroine and her journey surviving in this school but also discovering things she didn't know about herself. I'm very excited to see what happens in the next book...more
El, short for Galadriel, is an outcast at her school. Every day the students fight creatures called "mals" to survive and take classes at the same timEl, short for Galadriel, is an outcast at her school. Every day the students fight creatures called "mals" to survive and take classes at the same time. When school star Orion saves El from a mal, she sparks his attention when she doesn't act like all of his fawning admirers. But El doesn't want anything from Orion, she just wants to make it to graduation.
At first, when I started reading this book I thought I would DNF it. Naomi Novik is an author who doesn't always work for me and I was skeptical but wanted to give this book a chance. The world-building info dump at the beginning of the book may deter a lot of readers, but once you get past the first 40-50 pages it really picks up the pace from there.
I'm a sucker for an "unlikeable heroine" and El was great. She was mean, unfriendly, and completely vulnerable but had no way to show it. The developing friendship between her and Orion was fun to watch, and I ended up loving a lot of the side characters in this book too. By the end, I was running to the bookstore to buy the next two books because I want to read them as soon as possible....more
When Emmy returns to her small witchy town, she's facing a traumatic past she thought she left behind. Her ex-boyfriend, who is the reason sh 3 stars
When Emmy returns to her small witchy town, she's facing a traumatic past she thought she left behind. Her ex-boyfriend, who is the reason she left town, has also been making waves with some other women in the town. That's when Emmy teams up with them to get revenge. Among the wronged women is Talia, who Emmy is immediately intrigued by. As they work together, sparks begin to fly.
This book was solidly "okay" for me. It was a cute, small town, Hallmark-y vibe story and I can already see myself forgetting it in a couple of weeks. I liked it, but nothing really stood out to be as very special. I liked Talia a lot, and some of the trials and challenges near the end of the book. I do think the cover is stunning and would like to see more covers light it rather than the weird cartoon characters that are popular as of late....more
Beatrice wants to be a sorceress, but due to societal standards she is expected to marry and wear a collar to curb her power forever. When s 4 stars!
Beatrice wants to be a sorceress, but due to societal standards she is expected to marry and wear a collar to curb her power forever. When she meets the Lavan siblings, each one of them offers a different path: one with magic, and one without.
I want to start this out with addressing all of the Goodreads reviews saying this is a young adult, it absolutely is NOT. Not only is this catalogued in public libraries under adult fiction, it is sold in adult fiction in stores marking the intended audience for this book.
That being said I thoroughly enjoyed this book and had fun listening to the audiobook. Nadi was a mood, who doesn't want to be a spirit that craves sweet treats and dancing and running on the beach? I will say some of the slavery metaphors and a lot of the misogyny were anxiety inducing but that was the intent. And I will forever say Beatrice had more sexual chemistry with the Lavan sister and not the brother (I listened to the book and cannot find spellings, forgive me)....more
The second book in the Regency Faerie Tales series, I ended up enjoying this book way more than I thought I would.
Effie, a housemaid, has fallen in loThe second book in the Regency Faerie Tales series, I ended up enjoying this book way more than I thought I would.
Effie, a housemaid, has fallen in love with a man well above her station. When Effie bumps into fae Lord Blackthorn, she is hesitant to accept any help from him knowing deals with the fae don't always go as planned. But Effie makes the deal to become a lady, and must give him ten thousand stiches in return.
This book focused on inequities of the time it's set, much like the first book. But having this book set from the perspective of a maid showed more of the downstairs viewpoints than the first novel did. Lord Blackthorn was a fun character and I loved seeing the dynamic of him and Effie since the two were so different. Despite focusing on serious issues this is also a fun romantic series and I'm excited to read the third book....more
I'd like to grow up and be Hilarie Burton Morgan someday (even though I am in fact, a grown up right now).
Mostly a collection of fond memories, witchI'd like to grow up and be Hilarie Burton Morgan someday (even though I am in fact, a grown up right now).
Mostly a collection of fond memories, witchy advice, and recommendations on starting your witchy journey. Less of an actual memoir as it's categorized. Still lovely and Burton-Morgan is a great writer and narrator....more
Not too much historical, not too much fantasy, this was a great story about someone who never felt as if they were enough. Honestly had such a great tNot too much historical, not too much fantasy, this was a great story about someone who never felt as if they were enough. Honestly had such a great time listening to this book, would love to see more fae/faerie books like this one....more
Yet another review that is mostly random thoughts and vibes than a cohesive analysis.
I start every new year by reading a classic novel, and th[image]
Yet another review that is mostly random thoughts and vibes than a cohesive analysis.
I start every new year by reading a classic novel, and this year decided on The Hobbit. For some reason I have read Fellowship of the Ring by Tolkien, and nothing else. So it was time to start from the very beginning.
First off, this book made me even angrier that the Hobbit films were three movies. They easily could have been two considering the last 50 or so pages in this book is the entire third film, but whatever.
Tolkien's writing style takes some getting used to but after a while the story flows. Bilbo on this great adventure with a bunch of (ungrateful) dwarves. It's easy to see why this is a beloved classic and how it set the narrative for the fantasy genre that lasts almost a century later.
I didn't love love this book, but I enjoyed it a lot and it was great to spend some time in Middle Earth....more
I want to give this book a higher rating, I do. But it took me over a month to finish reading, had a massive info dump, and honestly... unp 3.5 stars
I want to give this book a higher rating, I do. But it took me over a month to finish reading, had a massive info dump, and honestly... unpopular opinion but this either could have been condensed or separated into two different books. I felt the first half was soooooo different from the second half, and that's fine. But it was a bit jarring for me to reconcile the two parts of the book in one if that makes any sense.
Iron Flame beings with Violet's second year at the Empyrean. With new challenges such as a new malicious commander, Xaden being gone, and having to lie to her friends, Violet is fighting hard to keep it all together. But Violet knows a big threat is coming and she will do whatever it takes to keep her loved ones safe.
This book was fairly slow the first 100 pages, was amazing from there to about 400 pages in and then kind of slowed down for me again. Not sure if it was me personally, or if the pacing of the book was off, but I found some parts riveting and others to be a bit boring. I do love all the characters, that's the strong point of the series for me. The dragons are the best and I loved a lot of the new characters introduced in this book as well.
While I didn't enjoy this book as much as Fourth Wing, it's still very good and I am hoping I won't forget everything by the time the third book comes out....more
Two rival journalists find a magical connection and love through enchanted typewriters. Iris Winnow lives a hard live with her alcoholic mother[image]
Two rival journalists find a magical connection and love through enchanted typewriters. Iris Winnow lives a hard live with her alcoholic mother and her brother fighting the war and missing in action. Her rival at her newspaper job is Roman Kitt, and the two are fighting for the same job. Iris writes letters to her brother which she places under a wardrobe where they magically disappear, and unknowingly to Iris, they go to Roman.
I read this book based on the recommendation of a book seller and I am so happy I picked it up. I didn't even realize this book was considered YA fiction, because even though the main characters are teens this read more like an adult novel/story to me. I loved listening along to what was happening with both characters, especially the world building. And the last 20% of this book broke me and I need the second book right now....more
Is this book a complete rip off of Throne of Glass? Yes
Is this book poorly written? Yes
Did I still enjoy reading it? Somewhat yes
So I 2.5 stars
Is this book a complete rip off of Throne of Glass? Yes
Is this book poorly written? Yes
Did I still enjoy reading it? Somewhat yes
So I finished the book and didn't DNF it, that says a lot. I actually mostly enjoyed the first 70% of this book, but overall it was just okay. It felt simultaneously a rip off of multiple famous books (Throne of Glass, The Hunger Games, Divergent, Harry Potter 4) with weird "easter eggs" thrown in that really took me out of the book more than anything. I think the author tried but there were too many things with this book that didn't work for me in the end. Not sure I'd be willing to read more in this series....more
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