This was some Harlequin Silhouette type magnificence right here, folks. IYKYK
I mean, it's about a Sheikh (loz) basically blackmail3.5 Smut Scale Stars
This was some Harlequin Silhouette type magnificence right here, folks. IYKYK
I mean, it's about a Sheikh (loz) basically blackmailing this woman to have a baby for him. You know, because her twin signed the contract and so, of course, it's all on her now.
It took me three months to read this and I'm actually surprised I didn't just DNF it.
The story trudged along at a snail's pace and cert1.5 - 2 Stars
It took me three months to read this and I'm actually surprised I didn't just DNF it.
The story trudged along at a snail's pace and certain parts of the heroine's history (and the Hero's ex-Queen) were hashed and re-hashed, and re-re-re-hashed so many times I got sick of it.
Quite frankly, I was bored and the highlight of the book was finally getting it off my "currently reading" shelf. ...more
Gonna settle on 2.5 stars, rounded down...final rating...not sure why I keep waffling on this one...
Before I get started, I want to say that directlyGonna settle on 2.5 stars, rounded down...final rating...not sure why I keep waffling on this one...
Before I get started, I want to say that directly prior to reading this, I had just completed book three of The Mistborn Saga and a re-read of Surviving Raine, two books I five-starred the shit out of...Meaning: I read this on the heels of a veritable case study on world-building and character/relationship development mastery, respectively.
So maybe this book was somewhat doomed simply based on that.
Regardless, I read a few reviews on this that had me really excited. PNR/Fantasy romance is some of my favorite kind of romance and I was looking forward to diving into this based on those select reviews and the blurb. So, the fact that I didn't love this thing bums me out.
But allow me to break it down...
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1) The writing.
Something was off about it and I can't quite put my finger on it. Word choices were routinely awkward and sometimes I had trouble following exactly what was going on, especially as applied to love scenes.
Now, I'm fairly intelligent...but the first two smutty scenes between the main couple left me wondering if they had actually done the deed or just fumbled around with their clothes on until someone...leaked.
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If you follow me.
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2) The world-building.
Was just poorly done, sadly. We are dropped into this world which is seemingly involved in a long, ongoing war between two factions of the Fae world. And humans are involved...somehow?
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The reasons for this war are murky, the "details," as limited as they were, were constantly changing, and the true catalyst when finally (I think?) explained, was weak and not fleshed out to my satisfaction.
Also, the magic system at play here was pudding soft and never fully made clear either. The characters seem to know and understand things that we the reader are never let in on.
Part of me appreciates that the author was probably trying to make an effort to show and not tell us what certain characters actions/events meant in the grand scheme of the story; but instead we were left with unexplained phenomena that would only be marginally, if ever, delved into chapters later.
Example: (view spoiler)[Opal goes to mend the human prince's cloak. Why? Not sure. But instead of just "mending" it right then and there with her fae abilities (which we later learn was her intent) she takes it back to her room with her. Mends it. And when the prince comes to collect it from her, it's discovered that she mended it with gold. It's not fully explained that it's not just gold thread, but actual legit gold hardware until a little later. But apparently it's "kind of a big deal," although why that is...is never really expanded upon. It's just alluded to that this is a power she was previously trying to hide....for some reason.
Again...
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Oh, and she can also change into a fucking bird. Which is related to some kind of prophesy. Which is also, you guessed it, never really fully explained. (hide spoiler)]
Early in the book, Opal is at some kind of magical "crossover" tree. Refer to point #2 for lack of any further, credible information involving said tree. While here, she runs into an enemy soldier who apparently is also aware of this...tree.
They meet there and...something. And even though this soldier is clearly part of the enemy forces supposedly slaughtering her lands and people, Opal starts meeting up with him at the tree on regular. To train with weapons. For no apparent reason. Cause romance book.
She of course later finds out who this soldier really is...and literally watches as this guy RIPS OUT HER FATHER'S HEART and kills him. But she somehow seems to just emotionally gloss over this. Because, she's just really drawn to him, you guys.
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And because, later on, we are doing it for the people. And peace. Or something. And because - again - romance book.
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I don't know.
All I know is, if someone MURDERED my father right in front of me...even if I was given a (super weak, mind you) justification for it later...I don't care HOW dreamy he is or how drawn to him I am...NOPE.
I mean, Opal doesn't even seem that upset about her father dying, period. And he was supposedly a solidly decent parent and person. It's not like he was even painted as some evil dictator, thus bookishly enabling us to more easily accept why Opal would so gamely overlook his death and the expectation for what would normally ensue following the death of a parent.
It just didn't make sense human emotions-wise.
But whatever.
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And don't even get me started on how she gets "imprisoned" by the humans (whose presence in this book seemed to merely act as a convenient plot device whenever the author needed to create scenes which would otherwise never have occurred). But seriously, Opal, you are bigger and stronger and have magical fucking powers. I mean, you can change into a goddamn bird and FLY out the window at any time. So ESCAPE already.
And if you aren't choosing to escape, then the reason (or at least some kind of indication that there are reasons) should be made clear to the reader. Otherwise you just seem...
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Not that bright.
I also didn't understand how, near the end, a group of powerless humans seemed to be kicking the ass of a king who supposedly had SO much power...who could basically teleport himself anywhere...who could change into a ginormous wolf...who could literally rip organs from people's bodies...and who could also fucking fly. But, then again, not using ones magical powers in dangerous situations that seemed to call for them seemed to be par for the course for this book.
There is so much more, but I just can't be bothered. The only reason I rated this higher than a firm 1 or 2-stars is because, for some reason, I kept turning the pages. And because, despite my above reservations, the main couple DID have good chemistry. Enough chemistry to justify the hero killing the heroine's father and her being like...
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No. But still. Chemistry. Which always gets a star from me.
Other than that, this felt like an adult mash-up of a lot of trope-ridden young adult fantasy I've read over the years. If you are in the mood for that, haven't read a lot of fantasy in general, and/or don't really care about world-building (which I totally get, we all have things we don't care about), this might work out better for you than it did for me.
And, even though it seems like I'm kind of tearing it apart a bit, I didn't hate this book. I really did like the chemistry between the main couple. And the H was exactly my brand of possessive alphahole. In fact, I low key adored him. And I'm just always a complete sucker for possessively fate matings. Every. Single. Time.
I guess I just thought everything had potential to be so much better. We had super decent fabric and a strong enough needle...it just wasn't threaded solidly enough for my taste....more
I know a lot of people don't like her...but Nesta is my favorite ACoTAR character, and has been since the end of book one/beginnAll the Stars ⭐️✨⭐️✨⭐️
I know a lot of people don't like her...but Nesta is my favorite ACoTAR character, and has been since the end of book one/beginning book two.
I love female characters who are unashamedly prickly...who have defensive outer shells and soft inner cores...who secretly care that people don't like them...but also simultaneously don't give a shit.
Ever since Maas has been dangling the Nesta/Cassian pairing in front of us like so much chocolate, I have been dying for the focus to be on them. And after A Court of Frost and Starlight (which I also really enjoyed, although I know a lot of people didn't), I was basically pining for their story.
Enter the announcement and wait for this book...the long, loooooooong wait...
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Then it came out and I inhaled it. And it was everything I wanted it to be and more. Seriously, this was so fucking good, I could cry, folks.
Nesta's transformation was amazing...her and Cassian's transformation together was amazing...their banter was amazing...Rhy and Feyre as side characters were amazing...the main plot and all the sub plots were….amazing...
I think I’ve officially used up the word “amazing” for the day, so I’ll move on.
Simply put: I just loved everything about this book and enjoyed every single page.
Also, Maas is not even pretending anymore, you guys. This book was NOT young/new adult. It was FULL-ON adult. And it was...fucking delicious.
1) I'm not in a reviewing mood, but wanted to get something down before I complet3 Kinda Bummed Stars
Okay...so, a couple things before we get started.
1) I'm not in a reviewing mood, but wanted to get something down before I completely forget and then lose all interest. So, I apologize beforehand for the lack of quality I'm sure is about to follow...
2) Don't throw figurative tomatoes at me for not loving this more. I'm not in the mood for that shit either. And I promise any responses to said tomatoes will not be...diplomatic.
But anyway, this book...
I feel like Jennifer L. Armentrout (JLA) saw the success of Twilight, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, and Shadow and Bone and said...
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Because this book felt like a mashup of all of those series. Especially ACoTAR...for real though.
I would go into the the reasons why, but that would be super spoiler-y. And because LAZY.
But I digress.
Another thing....holy boredom, Batman. The first 67%+ of this thing was so tedious. SO tedious. It's not so much that I hated it or anything, but more just, well...
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I feel like JLA could have achieved exactly what she achieved in the first 67% with about half the page count.
Things finally started to pick up around 75% and I was happy as a clam by a solid 80% - which is the only reason I rated this thing above 2 stars, actually.
Did I already have Hawke's identity and background figured out way before then? Yes. Was I seriously over the banter between Hawke and Poppy? Yes. Was I excited they finally stopped bumbling about like kindergartners and got busy? HELL yes.
In the end, I think my overall disappoint in this thing was two-pronged:
1) The hype. So much, SO much hype. And I fell victim to it, for sure. Perhaps if I had waited, I might have loved this more (I still liked it, people). Or perhaps not.
2) The predictability. I had a feeling where this was going from practically the beginning. I had a feeling who the Ascended were...who Hawke was...what the sitch was...very early on. And I was right. And I feel like that undercut any and all urgency with this book for me. In fact, it took me forever to finish this and I had no problem putting it down.
That said, even though literally nothing about the ending came as a surprise, I still loved the hell out of it and it sorta, kinda, almost made up for the endless tedium of the first 67% of the book. Thus my 3 stars and my intent to continue the series.
In short, I found the vast majority of this book to be fairly unexciting; however the final 25% or so made up for it some. I think the hype here was righteous and I can definitely see why most people loved this thing. I think I simply had too high expectations and it definitely affected my reading experience.
To be clear: This is not a negative tear-down review by any means. I just expected to 5-star the shit out of this since everyone told me I would...so this is more of a "meh, I liked it well enough" review tinged with disappoint over what could have been, I suppose.
But anyway. While I didn't love this book, I still liked it. And I will definitely read book two soon....more
This was probably my least favorite book in the trilogy for this couple (books 4-6 of the overall series), but I still enjoyed it. Overall, I3.5 Stars
This was probably my least favorite book in the trilogy for this couple (books 4-6 of the overall series), but I still enjoyed it. Overall, I would give this series a rating of 4 stars as compared to other books of its kind (omegaverse).
I really enjoy the world Ellis has created with this series and I just love the whole Alphs/Omega shtick in general. I also really like the series' magic element and this trilogy went deeper into that topic.
At the end of the day though, I just love well-written omegaverse books, and Ellis brings that in spades. ...more
I started reading Regency romance when I was 12 (yeah, I know, whatever) and I have always loved it. In fact, Regency5 Stars
The was just delightful.
I started reading Regency romance when I was 12 (yeah, I know, whatever) and I have always loved it. In fact, Regency (historical romance in general, really) and paranormal romance were my first true books love genres and will FOREVER hold a special place in my heart.
I started with the likes of Julie Garwood, Judith McNaught, Johanna Lyndsey and Beatrice Small and those old battered mass market paperback still fill my shelves and have been read and re-read numerous times over.
This book felt very reminiscent of those books and how much I loved them. Very nostalgic. Here's hoping book two gives me the same vibe....more
I just don't think fairy tale re-tellings are for me...I never end up liking them. Also, even the elements of the story that were NONE fairy tale Meh.
I just don't think fairy tale re-tellings are for me...I never end up liking them. Also, even the elements of the story that were NONE fairy tale related (the H and his "damaged" past, etc) just felt like something I had read before many times.
Not to mention there was a bit of bdsm in here...which I am not opposed to by ANY means. I just think there was a period where the market was saturated with it and I over-read it...and now have no interest.
Which is a bummer, since I really love this author and her Boston Underworld series. Oh well, it's probably just me. I can see other people really liking this book. I think I would have too if I had read it a few years ago...but I've just read too much similar stuff at this point....more
I really liked this one. It was a solid omegaverse where I really liked both the H and the h and 4 Smut Scale Stars
And some omegaverse ones at that...
I really liked this one. It was a solid omegaverse where I really liked both the H and the h and where the h doesn't spend half the book getting (view spoiler)[gang raped (hide spoiler)] like in the last couple I've read. I mean I get it...but I can can only read so much of it, you know?
My only complaint is that I would have liked a little more relationship building between the main couple...a little more time spent together or something. The author did a great job setting up Sasha's past and background, so I know she had it in her to flesh the relationship out more...but maybe that's just me being greedy.
Other than that, a really solid omegaverse book and I really look forward to the next one in the series. ...more
I know it's not "cool" to like SJM books anymore...all the cool kids say she's tired, she doesn't have enough "rep" in her books, she's too t4.5 Stars
I know it's not "cool" to like SJM books anymore...all the cool kids say she's tired, she doesn't have enough "rep" in her books, she's too trope-y, her males are too "masculine," angels and fae have been done too many times before, blah, blah, fucking blah...
I'm not here to rate the literary elements here, people. I'm not here to ferret out any imagined or un-imagined social warrior stances in a barely adult Urban Fantasy book meant for entertainment.
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And this was scrumptious.
Was the beginning somewhat clunky and hard to get into? Yes. But I was prepared. And that should be expected in almost any first in a new fantasy series.
Was it too long? Yeah, probably. But I also wouldn't trade in any of the length and, in turn, lose any of the world/character-building.
Did a lot of the characters remind me of characters from her other books? Sure.
But again, I don't care. At the end of any given day, I am just a basic bitch who reads for ENTERTAINMENT. And I found this book to be 800 pages of a good time.
I am not really into the pirate genre...or books about ships...or YA fantasy as much lately, if I'm truly honest...and yet someth3.25 YA Fantasy Stars
I am not really into the pirate genre...or books about ships...or YA fantasy as much lately, if I'm truly honest...and yet something about this blurb intrigued me when I got my Book of the Month picks for February.
I told myself I could only buy more YA books if I read any new ones right away and started to make some headway with the scores already completely littering my shelves. So here we are.
I thought this was a really solid start to a new YA fantasy series. I trudged through the first part a bit (I think the first 50% took me over a week to read), but that's typical of first-in-series fantasy books where the author is busy building worlds and magic systems, etc. Things really started to pick up once I hit the halfway point though and I ended up finished it in one sitting.
I really liked the magic systems used here. I wouldn't say they are wholly original or mind-blowing by any means, but they also didn't feel like complete carbon copies of all the other fantasy systems out there. I especially enjoyed the darker nature of Amora's magic. Because blood and stabby-ness always make this girl's day.
There were some minor twists that I saw coming and some that were mildly surprising. I do wish some of the characters has been a little more developed. But all in all, a really solid start and I will be picking up book two whenever it comes out....more
If Kristen Ashley's Golden Dynasty (which, let's be honest, is a blatant Game of Thrones Dothraki rip-off) and Ruby Dixon's Ice Plan4 Smut Scale Stars
If Kristen Ashley's Golden Dynasty (which, let's be honest, is a blatant Game of Thrones Dothraki rip-off) and Ruby Dixon's Ice Planet Barbarians had a baby, it would be this book.
Total smut scrumptious-ness. Enjoy, friends....more
I love the Arthurian Legend and snagged this immediately when I saw it as a Book if the Month YA choice. I was really excited at the thoug2 Stars
Sigh.
I love the Arthurian Legend and snagged this immediately when I saw it as a Book if the Month YA choice. I was really excited at the thought of Guinevere having magical powers and being sent to protect Arthur for once instead of simply being the damsel in a distressful love triangle.
And while I do appreciate the effort made here to make female characters strong and with agency...I felt the Feminist underpinnings and what seems to be the constant need for “representation” in every book these days (while appreciated) overwhelmed everything else. And the story suffered for it.
The characters are all quite bland, especially Arthur. And, we are kept in the dark regarding many details for far too long. I became bored waiting for something to happen. We spend the vast majority of the book watching Guinevere flail aimlessly about, seemingly without any true purpose. When something finally does happen, I found myself not really caring.
I was also kind of disappointed in the magical elements of the story. I guess I just expected...more....more
This was a really cute read and I enjoyed it. It was a lot more saccharine at certain times than I was expecting (I always think of grittier 3.5 Stars
This was a really cute read and I enjoyed it. It was a lot more saccharine at certain times than I was expecting (I always think of grittier romance when I think of Karina Halle, for some reason), but I had fun with it.
I am a sucker for the nanny/single dad trope...and you add royalty and an 10+ year age gap and I'm like a pig in shit. Speaking of pig. The pet pig Snarf Snarf was super cute.
Perfect for a day when you feel like something light and steamy. I will probably snag the other books in the series too, especially since they are available via Kindle Unlimited....more
I must have been high when I read the first book, you guys. Because these last two books have felt like a completely different series withSo very meh.
I must have been high when I read the first book, you guys. Because these last two books have felt like a completely different series with completely different characters.
The only highlight of this book for me was Celeste's character development. Only to have to her unceremoniously (view spoiler)[executed (hide spoiler)] with nary a mention.
The fun depth of the first book was totally lacking in the subsequent books.
...and trust that no one is surprised more than me.
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This series has been sitting on my shelves with the pretty hardcover spine cover g4 Stars...
...and trust that no one is surprised more than me.
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This series has been sitting on my shelves with the pretty hardcover spine cover girls in pretty dresses just staring at me in judgment for years.
And I suppose I put off reading it for several reasons...
1) I just haven't been loving YA books for a while now. Especially the trope-y dystopian variety we were bombarded with for so long...this series being one of them. 2) I heard it was like The Bachelor, which I have no interest in, as well as reality TV in general, really...
In fact, I'm not even sure why I bought these.
But I digress and no one really cares anyway. After all, everyone else has already read these, right?
As most people have probably already mentioned, this book was like The Bachelor and Hunger Games had baby together...and no one is more surprised than me that I was basically a trash panda for it all.
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But seriously, I picked this up on a whim last night and ended up reading the entire thing in one sitting.
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It was fairly basic...and trope-y...and very 2012 YA. All the things I don't usually love anymore. But, you know what?
I don't even care.
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And everyone needs a mindless fat angel sometimes. Off to read the next one....more
Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️
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