(Mars is very excited for Wrestlemania weekend)

This was quite enjoyable even though I was only in it for the luchador subplot. Lots of trauma in the set up but it‘s not entirely miserable. Spice was good (though some of the dirty talk seemed out of character at times). Lots of “that‘s my wife”, understandable miscommunications

🤼‍♀️

This is my other “Wrestlemania” read. I haven‘t read the other books in this series, or anything else by this author & I don‘t even really like contemporary romance but that‘s whatever I heard Silver based the MMC aesthetics on Roman Reigns & I was like ok I‘m in. But his name is Rhys Dupris.. this man is Samoan. & he‘s not telling her he‘s a wrestler because it‘s “embarrassing”. He‘s on TV, he‘s not an indie death match wrestler.

DNF @ 139 pages. Weird to say but- there‘s too much dialogue: everyone is constantly talking but it doesn‘t seem to be furthering the plot. Looking through the reviews (although mostly positive) it just seems this one may not be for me.

Book 3 follows Sieh the god of Childhood. His interactions with mortals and other gods as his nature changed was magnificent.

This does not specifically impact my review, but I audiobooked the previous 2 in the series & in my opinion audio is the way to go, the formatting & nature of the book: a vast story of gods, godlings & their impact on mortals; lends it well to oral storytelling, it feels like hearing a secret mythology around a campfire

The writing is good, Saint connected a multitude of Hera myths in a cohesive way, the set up shows Hera‘s notorious wrath as a form of reactive abuse & that invoked empathy, but ultimately Hera‘s ire was repeatedly misdirected & I just couldn‘t relate to the redemption Saint was conveying for the goddess of marriage.

Ok I finally watched the show

(Spoilers for book vs TV)

@majkia @Roary47 @BethM @Sargar114 @BookwormAHN #ReadingWesteros

I like Becky but this memoir didn‘t go over for me. I wanted more detail & while I know some things have to remain mysterious there was plenty brushed off or sped through while analyzing the lead up in great detail -anything from matches to overcoming a mental health issue, there was more about unnamed fiancé #1 than Seth/Colby & I would have liked more about her mom life (may be biased I as a new mom). I liked the early years stuff though.

Ok I had to get into the trend! thanks @TheLudicReader ! I really thought I would get Red but it got edged out by orange… which is also accurate. I have not read any of the books they featured but want to read 3 of them and could easily be convinced to read the 4th 😂

I get that it‘s a metaphor for (in particular the Vietnam) War. I see what the purpose was. But holy moly was it boring.

For a while I was reading it and was not really into it, Charlie being more of an observer than participant in his own life resonated with how I‘d felt in my life at times but I didn‘t really see where it was going & the ending came & blew me away completely not what I expected. The 20th anniversary afterword was cute.
Excited for the discussion #withthebanned
@Jadams89

I could not put this down. So good, and honestly so many layers, this would be a fun one to dissect with a book club. The way that Sciona grew from the start of the book through the end was just brilliant. & it really hit on the biggest obstacles trying to combat social Justice/societal issues & did it in a way that was very organic & heartfelt to the story.

Unpopular opinion. The prose and setting are good, but not much is happening and it‘s just boring me. Very similar to Lost Apothecary which I didn‘t like. #hailthebail

Loved it. Admittedly I did not care about the “love triangle” & I wasn‘t trying to think too hard about the logistics. But it was creepy, there was some good commentary that wasn‘t overdone but would make sense for a YA audience as well & the MC reminded me of one of my close friends from High School. Just moody & fun.

I enjoyed it. The Scarpetta 1st person POVs are the best ones (idk why this series has so many format changes) the set up for this one was neat, but it did seem drawn out in the beginning w/3 different scenarios demanding Kay‘s attention. & No idea why there had to be a connection with a victim & Scarpetta‘s team… the amount of times that has happened is silly. But ultimately the action was so good.

I haven‘t read the other books in this world, but I ended up loving this anyway. I was so interested to see how the POVs tied together, the worldbuilding was great. I‘ve read a lot of YA fantasy lately, & at first it seemed really similar to some I‘ve read lately, but then it took a huge departure & the plot was more elaborate than I anticipated.

“For the people” was a blood soaked shield brandished by tyrants everywhere.

March‘s board- 3 bingos! I was very efficient with my choices this month I guess @TheAromaofBooks
2 DNFs
Tagged book was my favorite read of the month!

Bailing. I‘ve followed the author on insta for a while. She describes it as a “why choose/reverse harem inspired by ACOTAR with spice from book 1” & I was like “ok I ❤️ trash, let‘s go” but 50% in aside from the fae being divide into “Starlight, Forest courts, etc.” nothing is like ACOTAR, the worldbuilding isn‘t luscious, the characters aren‘t strong, the dialogue is terrible, &the spice finally arrived with the FMC witnessing a very unsexy orgy

The mystery was good so I‘m giving this a pick BUT there are some very icky racial stereotypes that I‘m sure were quite “normal” 24 years ago… but ew.

At first the POV changes were a bit daunting (many had a similar tone, Lena being the exception) but it ended up being a good mystery about a small town and the river that run through it which going back to the witch trials has been note to be a suicide spot -and/or a place to get rid of difficult women.

#bookspinbingo list for April! @TheAromaofBooks

It was good, a little overloaded between the plot & the magic system (a few things seemed convoluted). The characters were relatable & the metaphor to real world prejudice & atrocities came across well.

Stunning. Collins is a genius. I loved the original trilogy, & while I had mixed feelings on Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, SOTR gave me a new appreciation for it. Haymitch‘s experience from the opening to epilogue was heartbreaking & inspiring.

Super cute. Fluffy romance, a fair amount of spice, a silly initial premise with an interesting side plot. Nothing super outside of the norm and if you‘ve read Hibbert‘s older works it‘s very true to her formula, which is fun, racy & inclusive but not breaking new ground (especially if you don‘t care for secret royals)

Loved it. Tons of action, more worldbuilding & the powers/tribes are expanded upon. Very intense ending!

Read for #withthebanned Somehow not what I expected after hearing about it all this time. Offred navigates a society where women aren‘t allowed to read, write or express themselves in society & are reduced to breeding potential while she recalls her life before. Atwood used historical touch points (which are too relevant today) to show how society changes & can bow to extremists even in a short time. Looking forward to the discussion!

Really good but needed more Selwyn IMO. The added POVs were great, Deonn did a really good sort of recap at the beginning for where Bree, Sel, Nick & the order left off. Bree finds she can‘t run from her heritage as more secrets and injustices are revealed. Can‘t wait to see what‘s next

Any New England Littens see this?
What a weird crossover.

I liked this more than book 1, the motivations got more complex &entangled whereas before the attraction seemed naive & kind of odd, the romantic relationships take a backseat to the rebellion which works well with the worldbuilding &darkness of the story, but with the ending… I feel like anything could happen in book 3.

Not unique in the genre by any means, other reviews compared it to Percy Jackson & Vampire Diaries, cant confirm -but there were plenty of familiar tropes & plot devices from the YA genre(Random girl years behind in her training is unstoppable within days/the toughest anyone has seen, 2 love interests set up, the chosen one, etc) but it was enjoyable if a bit bland, it was fun & I enjoy the greek myth inspired elements. will read on in the series

Soft pick. I liked the mystery surrounding the reality show, but it was much less character focussed than the first novel. Ffion and Leo were a big focus in book 1 as was Ffion‘s family and that was absent here, so while it works as a mystery/procedural it‘s not what I expected from this installment.

Tagged book was my favorite read from February!
#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

@TheAromaofBooks
My list for March! A few new releases, a bunch left over from February & a few selected for #ISPYbingo

🍀

A multigenerational story surrounding a Black billionaire and family patriarch. It‘s well written and leads to interesting discussion of intersectionality of class and race, unethical business practices, nature vs nurture; but the plot itself is lacking and the ending really fizzled out

I enjoyed this, the worldbuilding & premise were great, it was a quick read considering the heaviness of the story & general length. but I agree with some of the other reviews that some of the “romance” aspect felt forced.

A quick listen, full cast recording, I didn‘t expect much but the mystery itself (an apparent robbery gone wrong reveals multiple ties to a charismatic master manipulator) was good & comes together well.

Really enjoyed this. The POV character is blind but can see the gods magic, it‘s not a cure all & I appreciated the consideration given for how her life was impacted, the steps she had to take to maneuver the world around her & the accommodations she needed. The worldbuilding is still perfect & I was excited when it started coming together more directly with the plot & characters from the first book.

I enjoyed the conclusion of this series. I like the writing a bit more in her Princes of Sin series that takes place after this, the stories are more cohesive, this one there was so many odds and ends across the 3 books wrapped up in the last 10% that I had forgotten about, but things resolved well enough for the MC. Too many side plots, but a fun read.

Very enjoyable romantasy novella set in the Crowns of Nyaxia world. Gives a closer look at the sickness and the gods. I loved the MCs Lilith & Vale.

This was good! It follows Flora Dane a previous kidnap victim who goes all vigilante and then gets kidnapped again. Told from her POV and that of the lead detective, they both work to unravel who has taken her.
A few wtf moments, all the characters were relatable and distinct, very intense at times

I wanted to love this after how much I adored Such Sharp Teeth, but I did not. Sloane is so wishywashy, her best friend Naomi is a frustrating hot mess but I would have liked the book better if it followed her. I didn‘t care about the romance subplot with probably-not-dracula. There‘s no metaphor here, the beginning had Sloane reflecting on time slipping & her obsession with aging but that falls away as the action starts. I didn‘t get it. 🧛🏻‍♀️

Did not finish book. Stopped at 63%.
This just isn‘t picking up for me. I had some issues with book 1 but thought maybe the story could progress in a way that interested me but I‘m finding myself bored and over it with the MCs‘ inability to communicate Basic information to eachother.

#ispy & #bookspinbingo results from January! @TheAromaofBooks

The tagged book was my favorite read of the month!

Loved Atalanta‘s perspective of traveling with the Argonauts & all that came after. The beginning was a bit dry, but I appreciated the depiction of the different phases of her life & the achievements she made & resilience displayed. Touched on many well known myths.

My littlest guy arrived. Marshall aka “Mars” born 1/29 💕 we‘re home, we‘re happy, healthy & trying to figure out what to do with our hands.

Cute, fun, low stakes funny fantasy.

February #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

My first time reading instead of watching & it was really good! The tension & terror of all the characters are quite palpable, very intense.

Not in Litsy database: I got this on a Stuff Your Kindle Day.
Soft Pick
It was pretty cute. I‘m a big wrestling fan so I liked picking out all the inspo. At first Elle was driving me crazy, Logan wasn‘t much of a grump for a “grumpy bartender” but as they got a better read on eachother it was really sweet and the 3rd act conflict was so fun.

There are a smattering of misspellings/typos, so fair warning.

@majkia @Roary47 @BethM @Sargar114 @BookwormAHN @JenlovesJT47 #ReadingWesteros

Adara & her family are simple farmers living in the path of approaching war. She‘s referred to as a cold, winter child & takes solace in building her ice castles & her friendship with an ice dragon.

I went to my local indie bookstore A Great Notion in Auburn, MA because they were having a big used book sale - 5 for $3 mass market paperback and buy 3 get 2 free all other used & I went to the thrift to look at baby clothes & found the tagged book for $3.