so-so⭐️⭐️⭐️
The premise of this book seemed very interesting, but the part of the plot that is described in the book‘s synopsis doesn‘t even happen until after halfway through the story. The story was okay in general but I honestly thought that the ending was pretty ‘meh‘.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“A Flicker in the Dark” was a more slow-burn thriller in which I found Chloe to be unlikeable and more unreliable as the story progressed. I enjoyed the story and the plot twists, but I wish there was more to the epilogue and I wasn‘t a big fan of the main character.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5/5)
“The Maid” started off slow, but when it picked up it was a great read. I initially was very frustrated because it was pretty obvious that Molly was getting taken advantage of and there were a couple plot points that I could guess at, but the way the story resolved was satisfying. I definitely enjoyed how every question I had during the story was answered and everything was tied up nicely by the epilogue.
“That‘s the trouble with pain. It‘s as contagious as a disease. It spreads from the person who first endured it to those who love them most. Truth isn‘t always the highest ideal; sometimes it must be sacrificed to stop the spread of pain to those you love.”
- Nita Prose
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5/5)
“Six Crimson Cranes” is a wonderful fantasy with an interesting premise, and I enjoyed it greatly. I found Shiori‘s character arc to be well done, and I also loved the sweet romance between Shiori and Takkan. I am definitely looking forward to this book‘s sequel and I appreciated the pretty book map!
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Holy macaroni was this book good. I was worried that the last book of the series wouldn‘t live up to my expectations that the previous two books delivered, but man did this conclusion do that and more. My only complaint is that I wish Cardan‘s letters to Jude had been included and not only in special editions of the book. Overall, I enjoyed this series very much and it was better than I expected!
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I definitely enjoyed this sequel to “The Cruel Prince”. “The Wicked King” continues with the character development and the plot was very engaging. I honestly don‘t know how people were able to wait for the “The Queen of Nothing” because the ending gives you a hell of a cliffhanger.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a very interesting and twisty thriller that focuses on revenge, and lots of murder. I found the plot unique in which its fast pace kept me engaged. I honestly didn‘t expect so many plot twists at the end but holy guacamole the last one was a doozy. This book had me guessing until the last pages!
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
As Neil Gaiman says in his introduction, “Fahrenheit 451” is a book about how we as humans begin by burning books and end by burning people. Initially while reading through this book, I didn‘t quite grasp the concepts that Bradbury presents but looking back the book makes more sense and resonates with me. I enjoyed the theme and Bradbury was truly ahead of his time with “Fahrenheit 451”.
“Ideas—written ideas—are special. They are the way we transmit our stories and our thoughts from one generation to the next. If we lose them, we lose our shared history. We lose much of what makes us human. And fiction gives us empathy; it puts us inside the minds of other people, gives us the gift of seeing the world through their eyes. Fiction is a lie that tells us true things, over and over.”
- Neil Gaiman; Introduction
“ I don‘t talk things, sir,” said Faber. “I talk the meaning of things. I sit here and know I‘m alive.”
- Ray Bradbury
“Is it because we‘re having so much fun at home we‘ve forgotten the world? Is it because we‘re so rich and the rest of the world‘s so poor and we just don‘t care if they are? I‘ve heard the rumors; the world is starving, but we‘re well fed. Is it true, the world works hard and we play? Is that why we‘re hated so much?…Maybe the books can get us half out of the cave. They just might stop us from making the same damn insane mistakes!”
- Guy Montag
“We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?”
- Guy Montag
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I honestly don‘t remember why I put off reading this series for so long, but I definitely regret it. I enjoyed the characters (especially Jude who is a badass),the storyline, and the multiple plot twists. I can‘t wait to see how this story continues!
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5/5)
“Where the Forest Meets the Stars” was a great read that I flew through. I found the plot very interesting, the characters unique, and the ending made my bleeding heart happy. Overall, I really enjoyed this story, plot, and its flawed characters.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was hands down the best book of the entire series. “The Winter of the Witch” was utterly thrilling, heartbreaking, dark, and compelling. I loved Vasya‘s character arc and the amount of tragedy, hatred, and abuse that she endures while still not tolerating any one‘s shit is admirable. The conclusion to this series was a wild ride, and I enjoyed the plot line and its bittersweet ending.
“What use am I? None. I have made more mistakes than I can count, and the world has no place for me. And yet, as I said before, I am still not going to die to please you.”
- Vasilisa Petrovna
“There are no monsters in the world, and no saints. Only infinite shades woven into the same tapestry, light and dark. One man‘s monster is another man‘s beloved. The wise know that.”
- Medved, the Bear
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I found that “The Girl in the Tower” bypassed its predecessor and more. Vasya‘s struggle to maintain her freedom in a world and culture that is male-focused and readily shames women is a main theme throughout which was very well-written. I enjoyed how both Vasya‘s and Morozko‘s characters developed throughout the book and I absolutely flew through the last part of the book. Now onto the last book of the trilogy!
“I do not know what you should choose. Every time you take one path, you must live with the memory of the other; of a life left unchosen. Decide as seems best, one course or the other; each way will have its bitter with its sweet.”
- Morozko
so-so⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5/5)
I was initially going to give this 3 stars, however the ending redeemed it a bit. I wasn‘t a fan of the characters and found that their inner monologues were repetitive. Nora was frustrating as she frequently made dumb decisions and would spend one minute adamant that Oliver was a murderer and then later would be smitten with him. I also saw the first plot twist coming a mile away, and the second one wasn‘t that surprising either.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The Last Flight” was a quick and thrilling read, inspired by the #MeToo movement that delivered two well-rounded characters trying to escape their circumstances. Both of the storylines sucked me in, and the airplane crash was an interesting aspect to the story. I only wish that Eva‘s outcome was more clear as the epilogue and other parts of the book are conflicting and is somewhat up for interpretation.
so-so⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a quick read with an action-packed plot, but I found it to be kind of “meh”. It definitely seems like a storyline you would see in a movie because that‘s the only way this plot would be believable. The characters were a bit unremarkable, including the main protagonist who seemed a bit plain and not very interesting. Overall, this had a decent plot but the book kind of fell flat for me.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5/5)
Excuse the language, but holy shit that was a hell of an ending with not only one, but multiple cliffhangers. It took me a while to get through this lengthy read, but I enjoyed the two storylines (though certain parts gave me some serious angst) and the fast-moving plot. I‘m definitely needing December to come faster so I can read the next and final book of the series!
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a different read for me, and part three of this book basically kept it as a pick instead of it being just a “meh” read. The story was unique, but I simply didn‘t love it as much as I wanted to. The theme of Christianity vs. old religion is strong in the plot line, but is well-written. I did really enjoy Vasya‘s character and her fight to forge her own path against the societal norms and expectations for women during that time.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was unable to put “Year of the Reaper” down. The plot was fast-paced with great yet flawed characters, intermittently sprinkled with witty humor, a sweet slow-burn romance, and lots of suspense. I did not see the massive plot twist coming, and it was a doozy. Overall I loved this book and only wish there was an epilogue and a book map.
so-so⭐️⭐️⭐️
As gorgeous as this Fairyloot edition of this book is, I wasn‘t the biggest fan of this book. I found the main character, Valeria, to be annoying, infuriating, and basically spent most of the book being angry. The side characters were okay but I couldn‘t get emotionally invested in them either. The plot was okay but I can‘t find myself reading this book‘s sequel when it comes out.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The Wolf and the Woodsman” is a lush story filled with history, mythology, fantasy, and magic. I enjoyed the premise of the story, and I felt that the characters were well-written. The forbidden romance was well done and the plot was continuously engaging. I took a star off due to the book being a bit confusing at times, but overall I enjoyed this book.
“Revenge?” Tangerine asked. Ike smiled ruefully.
“No, hate. Folks like to talk about revenge like it‘s a righteous thing but it‘s just hate in a nicer suit,” Ike said.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Razorblade Tears” was an excellent story of addressing homophobia, racism, bigotry, and of course, revenge. I found that the plot was fast-paced and I really enjoyed the character arcs throughout the book. My only critique is that the author wrote “sucked their teeth” way too many times throughout this novel.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5/5)
I love all of Sarah Anderson‘s books, and “Oddball” does not disappoint. This one includes snippets of life during quarantine and is full of comics that are hilarious and heartwarming. I can‘t wait to see what Anderson gives us next!
so-so⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5/5)
“Ruthless Gods” is a solid addition to this trilogy, but I wasn‘t impressed overall. I found that I couldn‘t get invested in any of the characters, and the plot got a bit confusing at times. One thing I couldn‘t get over was the emotional whiplash of the ‘I hate you‘/‘I love you‘ aspect of Nadya‘s and Malachiasz‘s relationship and the toxic amount of betrayal in it.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This collection started off with a slow start, but by the end I wasn‘t quite ready for this book to end. There were several hard-hitting and memorable poems and I wish this collection had been a bit longer.
so-so⭐️⭐️⭐️
I thought that “Woven in Moonlight” was simply okay. I found all of the characters annoying, and the main character was a bit of an idiot that tended to make a lot of rash decisions. In addition, the randomly placed Spanglish was a bit irritating. I liked the world itself and the wool animals were adorable, but I‘m not sure I‘ll be reading the sequel.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Wicked Saints” is dark, bloody, and full of magic. It gave me minor “Throne of Glass” vibes and the plot moved relatively quickly with some interesting twists. I initially enjoyed the romance but it felt a tad rushed towards the end, however I am intrigued in how the relationship continues given the latest development. I look forward to the future character development!
so-so⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5/5)
As my August #BOTM pick, I found “Not a Happy Family” to be a bit disappointing. The book had a solid start, but I found that the ending simply fizzled out and was mildly unsatisfactory. In addition, there were some plot holes that remained unanswered, which I found frustrating as well.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I wanted a spooky read and “The Last I Lied” gave me chills throughout the book. The amount of plot twists throughout the book kept me guessing until the very end, and even then the outcome wasn‘t what I expected! Sager did a great job of weaving the mystery throughout the book while filling the multiple plot holes; plus that ending was killer 😏
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5/5)
I found that “Dark Skies” far surpassed its predecessor, “Dark Shores”. I enjoyed Killian and Lydia‘s story much more than Marcus and Teriana‘s, and their relationship and romance was very well done. Jensen did an excellent job in the angst department and gave us some plot twists that I wasn‘t expecting. I look forward to the next book in this series!
so-so⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5/5)
This was a solid book of poetry, but I found that there were a lot of poems that I didn‘t relate with and I wish there was a bit more in terms of variety in topics. For instance, most of Sin‘s portion of the book is about being in an unhappy and/or unhealthy relationship in which I couldn‘t connect with. In addition, a good chunk of the book isn‘t really poetry but is simply rambling.
pan⭐️⭐️
I did not like this book. I almost DNF‘d this book multiple times and some of Jen‘s concepts, such as “Source Energy” were confusing and hard to follow. I also disliked how Jen implied “just changing your mindset” will cure your depression, and I ended up skipping through chapter 24 because I couldn‘t stand that chapter. Overall, Jen had some good points but a portion of her advice is just dumb and/or is not practical for most people.
so-so⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a quick read full of quotes from Cheryl‘s past literary works and it was simply okay. There were some inspirational quotes that I liked but the flow of the book was random and the majority of the quotes weren‘t that meaningful for me.
