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145495809X
| 9781454958093
| 145495809X
| 4.18
| 2,459
| Apr 01, 2025
| Apr 01, 2025
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it was amazing
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You can find this review of This Monster of Mine on my blog, Heart's Content! The biggest, most grateful, shoutout to the author and the publisher for You can find this review of This Monster of Mine on my blog, Heart's Content! The biggest, most grateful, shoutout to the author and the publisher for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Small anecdote: I had about seven billion bookmarks, notes and quotes on my kindle for this book, but something happened that the file triggered a complete shut down of my kindle and I lost it all, including my spot in the book. This would’ve been a favourite quotes post had it not been for that. Ngl, I was heartbroken, all those poignant moments and emotional dialogues I’d saved to share went poof in a second. But when this happened more than once I decided perhaps it was divine intervention telling me that everyone should enjoy the book with nary a peek within. True to that I’ve also ensured my best to keep this review spoiler free. As a reader we’re always keeping our ears, eyes and heart out in search for that one book. That one book that’s going to take us by storm, attach itself to our soul and knit itself into our lives. We’re all eager, curious, nervous, expectant, of which book it will be. Which story it will be. Which character it will be that will be. This Monster of Mine was that book for me. Took my heart by storm and stitched itself into my soul. If TMoM was a real person, it would be someone who enters your life so quietly it was a miracle and today you cannot imagine your life without them. Someone you bring home, take to your other friends and tell everyone about them because you can’t not. (To add some backstory to the support the statement, I just finished narrating the basic gist of this book to my mother.) The plot of this story. The. Plot. Of. This. Story. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 25, 2025
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Mar 28, 2025
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Mar 25, 2025
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Paperback
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9798895466353
| B0DN263NCF
| 3.82
| 679
| Mar 11, 2025
| Mar 11, 2025
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it was amazing
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You can find this review of The Elf Witch on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to the author for providing me with a complimentar You can find this review of The Elf Witch on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to the author for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review! When I’d read the blurb for The Elf Witch that fateful day many weeks ago, I couldn’t imagine not reading the book. When I received a mail from the author, I was ecstatic and couldn’t wait to start reading… …and once I started reading I couldn’t imagine stopping. It was truly a wonderful problem to have. I started at around 8 PM on the 9th and read until about 1 AM and finished about 40% of the book. The next day by 3 PM I was done with the whole book and was spamming the author; just absolutely gushing with how much I enjoyed TEW. After a long time, The Elf Witch stands as a reminder for me of all those books that managed to capture (and keep) my attention from the very first page. However, that’s the only thing TEW has in common with most other books I’ve read. Everything else about The Elf Witch was so very very unique to itself. Even if you were to find familiar premises, the author’s take on said premise is always always going to push you into spaces you’ve likely never ventured—or even wanted to venture—into before. But Gilmore took me wherever she wanted and I have never loved it more. The tropes, set-ups, situations that I may have not liked before or want to explore, Gilmore put me through and I loved it! Because as readers we often circuit around stories/set ups and circumstances we can digest and think we want to read. BUT, sometimes some authors reveal that you can enjoy something else too. That’s what Gilmore did for me. So, THANK YOU! (Can I believe that this was Gilmore’s debut? Nup.) For the first time I’m starting my review with the characters in this story. The primary character, our heroine Imani, is the person whose mind the reader resides in and whose shoulders the whole book rests on. Imani somehow has your attention from the moment she begins her story. I’m aware that sometimes third person perspectives are something some readers struggle with, and while it took me a moment to assimilate to the storytelling style, two pages in, I was absorbed. I would say look past your preferences for one chapter, and see the journey it takes you on. Imani is an interesting FMC. Even while conforming to everything a main character is, she also breaks all the rules and makes you look beyond some of the expectations and ideologies you have. I loved watching a story that promises and actually depicts morally grey, morally black and morally messed up characters. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, most books that promise an enemies to lovers relationship actually only portray an enemies to lovers “set-up”. But Gilmore has ensured you feel a range of emotions for the main characters in her book—including the FMC. Gilmore doesn’t shy away from shining light on all the darkness and she’s kind enough to warn you of all this before you even begin the book. The plot in this book, like everything else in it, is a secret that’s wrapped in politics, pain, revenge and fear. You never see the true heart of anything or anyone (at least not yet). There are multiple sub-plots and barely even a glimpse of the main plot has been revealed and I cannot wait to see where this series goes. This book, despite everything it reveals, has only set the stage upon which Gilmore could build something glorious. To say I was blindsided with how unpredictable most of this book was for me would be an understatement. The best part was we were warned about some of it from the very beginning! I happened to be reading some of the reviews on Goodreads and I noticed that most readers struggled with the world building with regard to the magic system, specifically. However, here’s my take on it. Yes, it does take a bit to be able to place some of the names to the powers/breeds and I will agree a breakdown of all the breeds, powers and explanations in the beginning of the book would be fantastic for a reader. But but but with time it all starts to fall into place a lot more. From the powers, to the people, to the world, it all starts to make sense. There are some moments/instances where the scenes are skipped to aid the gigantic journey that the the book needs to take; so at many times some events are reflected upon rather than experienced in the present. Initially, I was surprised with the skips, but later I realized it made a lot of room for the more important events and was super grateful for aforementioned skips. But I’m also curious if the author will continue filling the gaps through the course of the series or if she’ll keep us riveted to the present and forget all about the past until BAM, devastating call-back slash sneak attack! Honestly I’m ready for anything. (Did I mention this was a debut novel?) The pace for me never let up even for a moment. The book begins with the silent countdown of something you’re not sure you recognise. But once the countdown stops there’s perhaps a single moment of silence that’s the only warning we get before everything blows up and we’re running. I would say that Gilmore has set us inside a maze and we’re racing to find our bearings, grappling and unsure of what we’ll face at each turn until we come to a devastating end. To me the book didn’t have a brutal cliffhanger but it does have a brutal ending. The pain was deep and devastating in my eyes and I have absolutely NO guesses as to where Gilmore is leading us but I’m here for every moment of it. Someone just tell me where I need to sign so I can read book two right now. Thank you. Can you tell I loved the book? Five stars. Please do read all the trigger warnings before starting, the book deals with very difficult themes that can be triggering for many. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 09, 2025
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Mar 10, 2025
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Mar 10, 2025
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Kindle Edition
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9798988711
| 9798988711841
| B0D67GQ1QF
| 3.79
| 483
| unknown
| Oct 15, 2024
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it was amazing
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You can find this review of Beyond These Gilded Walls on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to the author for providing me with a You can find this review of Beyond These Gilded Walls on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to the author for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review! To say I went through the hardest, most emotionally painful slump of my life is an understatement. I hit the lowest of lows because I read a book I was unprepared emotionally to handle. It’s silly, because it’s not an insane trigger or anything. But it was an emotional wound that the book slowly chipped at and ripped open. I finished the book and realized I had grief left over from a certain event in my life, that made the way the plot-problem was resolved in that particular book, unsatisfying for me. Even without my awareness of my grief I’d have not liked the way it was handled but it wouldn’t have hit me so badly, that’s for sure. The reason I’m speaking about this so much is to explain how deeply it affected me. I haven’t touched my Kindle for most of this month, which is unheard of for me. But there was one book that brought me back constantly, even if it was only by small measures; but it was more than I was able to do on my own. Beyond Those Gilded Walls is one of those books that appear like a lifeline in our lives. It managed to draw me in from page one with both the devastating pain, loneliness and grief the main character suffers along with the quick and eerie paced journey the book drags us into. There’s a certain tenor to the whole book that’s tainted with emotion that spills off the pages and straight into your heart. The kind of emotional turmoil the character faces and the nature of the experiences she has through the course of the book, colour our own reading journey in shades of red, grey, black and white. It’s very rare for a book to make me feel any kind of eeriness or fear while reading it and I just have to say as the plot unraveled in this book, at times I would put the book away at night because of some of the scenes. It was such a glorious experience because it was unique to this book for me and I always give books that infiltrate into my real life and make me feel a certain way LOTS of brownie points. There’s a larger plot that brews below the immediately perceivable sub-plots and character arcs and I found it both surprising and intriguing watching the story unveil its true self. The pace was wonderfully even, even while slumping I made great progress and even when I took a break and came back, reading the book was a swift and seamless experience. The world building in this book happens steadily. There’s a slow but sure progression of information about the world that is introduced to the readers and the pace and positioning of it was perfect. I will admit it may take you to sub-plot spaces you didn’t expect but I think it’s a great set up for the next book. Yes, I’m pretty sure there’s a next book. Now the characters…. You know what? I’m going to let you find out about them yourself. I went in blind on what to expect, you should too. Five stars! Happy happy reading. Check trigger warnings as always. There are difficult themes in this book that can be triggering for some. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Feb 10, 2025
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Feb 26, 2025
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Feb 10, 2025
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Kindle Edition
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9798992111415
| B0DS1GJDY1
| 4.29
| 202
| unknown
| Jan 21, 2025
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really liked it
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You can find this review of Cinders Burn at Midnight on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to the author for giving me this amazin You can find this review of Cinders Burn at Midnight on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to the author for giving me this amazing opportunity to read Cinders Burn at Midnight early! All opinions stated in this review are my own. Cinders Burn at Midnight has, first of all, an extremely interesting title. It made me very curious as a reader to understand what the book was about that could possible justify that unique title. That being said, once I started the book I promptly forgot about the title. The writing in this book honestly follows an extremely simple but straightforward style and I could sink right into it. CBaM is a just short of being a medium sized book that manages to grab your attention from page one and keep—it in its own sweet way—’til the end. Given the size of the book (as mentioned earlier) the author ensures that the book hits the ground running. However, despite all the moments in which the book takes flight, there are many sweet moments that are warm and make you smile. The world-building in this book is done with equal levels of sweetness and efficiency. The introduction to the world is done in such a smart and lovely way; and soon the book then takes us on a journey that made me feel that this book would look great on screen because of the nature of the set up. The world, its rules, secrets and mysteries are built over the course of the book taking turns to both reveal itself to and intrigue the reader. I would say that the book sits in the magical realism genre than in the genre of fantasy and that requires the ‘contemporary’ aspect of the story to be (for the most part) present throughout; be it the education/work life, or the other “magic-absent” relationships of the protagonist(s). The author has ensured this criteria is fulfilled naturally and at the same is relevant to the plot in its own way. The plot of the story (along with its other elements, now that I think about it) are often hidden behind the mystery that the author doesn’t let you see past until she deems us ready. Though in all honestly, I’m not sure I was ready. The book has a very interesting and unique plot line that has a LOT of potential to be something special and while I will admit that though book one doesn’t reveal everything, it has established the basic set-up for the rest of the series. So … *fingers crossed* The characters are a big part of what makes this book as sweet as it is. We alternate perspectives between the MMC and the FMC and we get a close look into both their personalities, their thoughts, emotions and families. Given how important all these aspects are to how the story unfolds, the author made a good choice breaking the narrative down the middle and giving us both the characters’ POVs. For me personally, I struggled with figuring out whose mind I was in while reading because I always forgot to see the name at the top along with the chapter header and given that the book is in first person and the characters are surrounded by mostly the same people, it sometimes took me a minute to place whose mind I was in if I was reading without realising a new chapter had started. The pace was wondrously even and—dare I say?—swift *giggles in Swiftie*. Cinders Burn at Midnight was such an easy book to simply sink into and I will say that yes, it does read like the work of a debut author, but in a good way. There’s a sweet, youthfulness to it that you can’t help but smile at sometimes. However, the book does have many dark themes that can be disturbing for some, so please do check trigger warnings before reading! Four stars! Happy reading! CBaM has already released and is available to be purchased immediately. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jan 20, 2025
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Jan 21, 2025
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Jan 20, 2025
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Paperback
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1763747514
| 9781763747517
| B0DPDLQ614
| 4.06
| 263
| unknown
| Dec 22, 2024
|
really liked it
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You can find this review of Play the Last Card on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to BookishBubbly PR and the author for gifti You can find this review of Play the Last Card on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to BookishBubbly PR and the author for gifting me with a complimentary copy of Play the Last Card as part of the blog tour in exchange for an honest review! Can we talk about how sweet this book was? Because it was. So so so very sweet. Sugar and spice (*winks*) and everything nice, that’s what I would call Fenwick‘s debut contemporary romance. Play the Last Card is a perfectly sized book that’s exactly what you need on a rainy day to curl up with and keep you company. It’s a tight hug and a warm drink all wrapped up in one nice little package. I took about two and a half sittings to finish this book; but that’s only honestly because I had to take a break, otherwise I’d have likely been done in one sitting. The writing in this book absolutely does not read like it were written by a debutante author. It’s simple, with the right amount of complexities, emotional with the perfect amount of humour and it’s romantic with just the right amount of heartbreak. I will agree that there were some hiccups here or there (I don’t mean typos or grammatial errors) that I noted but honestly they are so minor that I didn’t really knock a star off because of it. However, I did add half a star when I found out this baby was the author’s first venture into the writing world. The book alternates between the perspectives of the MMC and the FMC and I think for the first time I greatly greatly sympathised with the MMC more than I did with the FMC. It’s not often an author is ready to throw the spotlight on their FMC’s flaws, given that they hope that the reader greatly empathises and sees themselves in the protagonist. However, Fenwick doesn’t shy away from letting us feel frustration, confusion, pain and sometimes even disappointment with our protagonist. While I do know that certain times that can be difficult to read, I personally think this worked in PtLC‘s favour; that the author chose to be real rather than perfect. The plot in this book is so simple that it can dive into all the complex aspects buried within it. I personally think it could have been done maybe a smiiiiiidge better on the trauma front, however, it was still done really well on many of the other aspects and the resolution of it all that I can’t really complain. Additionally, I think that there was a great balance of all the things that hurt (so good) and the things that hold you (so well). I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again that sometimes the most (seemingly) simple concepts in a book are what elevate a story with all its complexities and intricacies. The pace in this story is so wonderfully even—though I will admit it races towards the last fifteen percent. Like I mentioned earlier, the book can absolutely be read in one single sitting. The book is one smooth emotional journey that will leave you feeling very very satiated at the end. Four and a half stars! As always, please check trigger warnings! Happy reading. Play the Last Card has released and is available for free for KU subscribers! ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jan 13, 2025
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Jan 15, 2025
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Jan 15, 2025
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Kindle Edition
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9798991035712
| B0DF5SSHKJ
| 3.94
| 284
| unknown
| Oct 22, 2024
|
liked it
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You can find this review of The Tournament of Heirs on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to the author for providing me with a co You can find this review of The Tournament of Heirs on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to the author for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review! I’m going to split this review down the middle—unlike my usual style—to expand upon the things that worked for me and the aspects I struggled with. Some of these aspects might repeat under both categories, because there are elements within them that were great, while others I'd like to share my thoughts on. I’ll start with the aspects of The Tournament of Heirs that worked for me. From the very first page, I was extremely drawn to the writing in the book. There was emotion and heart in abundance and while I was surprised to see this in a book promoted to be brutal and competitive, I was extremely glad for it. The writing ensures that the readers are well aware of the effect the tournament has on those who are to engage in it, those who are to watch them and of course, the Gods who designed it. Personal Anecdote: In fact, I enjoyed the writing so much, even just 5% into the book, that I reached out to the author to gush (two times) how much I was liking it! Thank you Amilea for being so warm and welcoming despite my sliding straight into your DMs uninvited. This leads us, of course, to the world building. Despite what the blurb claims, the book doesn’t dive straight into brutality and violence, in fact the actual tournament only begins about 60% into the book. This means that the book has a lot of time (as it’s a little over 500 pages) to establish characters, their personalities, their cultures, their circumstances and the overall nature and rules of the world. I would say however that quite early you’re fairly sure of everyone’s roles, emotions, personalities and responsibilities. Surprisingly, the reader can pick up on the underlying plot points quick enough that you know what the primary purpose is and are waiting anxiously to see it unfold. (Another tie in to how well TToH was written that you settle in fast and comfortably into the book.) The plot, as mentioned earlier, is very clear to the readers from about 10, maybe 15% into the book and given how long the characters have to interact with one another, it only gets further established in our minds. The characters in any story are extremely vital to how I feel about a book. TToH alternates neatly between the perspective of both heirs and while dual perspective are not my favourite, I easily saw the purpose for it in this book and found myself quite interested in both of their thoughts fairly equally. At one point of the story there is an influx of characters—which the author prepares us for much earlier—and they’re all written in a way that ensures you're perfectly capable of separating characters from one another. Even if it doesn’t happen immediately, in a few chapters, you’re well aware of who’s who. The cultural aspects in this book, I enjoyed so much. While I agree it’s part of the world building, I want to mention it separately just for the love I felt for it. Another aspect I’d life to mention separately, even though it technically falls under characters is relationship dynamics. There were several types of relationships in this book, from parental, to sibling, to rival, to vague and they were all cast in the perfect light by the writing and I enjoyed how much emotion is brought into each interaction between the different characters; even if sometimes that emotion was bitterness or anger. Now, let’s gentle tip our toes into the aspects of the book that didn’t work for me personally. As fantastic as the writing and world-building were, there was a small issue that appeared initially that slowly grew over the course of the first 60% of the book. Initially, I loved that there was a bit of time before the Tournament began. But by the 30% mark, we knew so much about the Tournament and it was already built up so much in our minds that you’re wondering where it is at this point. So you can imagine by 60% you’re quite… exhausted waiting for the Tournament to start. It’s now two times the anticipation, two times the hype and four times the expectation. Sadly, this expectation is not met. The Tournament does not come across as brutal as it seems or the expectations the readers have for it from all the information and anticipation render it that way. I think maybe the struggle was that the blurb promotes this book as a fight for the throne/power but the book itself is … not that. While the Tournament is spoken about a lot, the book doesn’t centre around the competition itself, as much as the emotions related to it, the hidden lore behind it and the bigger storyline beyond it. I think it would work greatly in the author’s favour if the blurb was tweaked to speak less about the Tournament itself and instead focus on the … bigger plot point beyond it. That I think would ensure readers don’t go in with an expectation that they’re bound to feel disappointed about. There was also lots of things that we are kept in the dark about, despite the first sixty percent that does a lot of world building. Which makes me wonder if that was intentional? I would say there was some rush in some of the connections in the book (typically in the romantic ones), which I honestly got in some ways. For one, everyone’s living in a maybe-there’s-a-tomorrow-maybe-there’s-not state of mind and that does of course colour everyone’s interaction. However… there is a sense of connection between the characters that’s both… elusive at times and not at other times. I’m mostly understanding of it, but it’s sometimes a little disconcerting when it slips into the more elusive nature of itself, where it goes from feeling deep to not at all. The pace dances between even, swift and slow as it tries to balance the reader’s experiences of the drawn out anticipation that goes on for many days before the Tournament, the not-as-brutal Tournament and the borderline insta-connections that toe the line of being plot props at times. Three stars. This book has so much heart, it’s impossible that it does not move you. Please check trigger warnings as always, the book has content and themes that can be triggering and difficult for some. Happy reading. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Nov 17, 2024
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Nov 30, 2024
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Nov 17, 2024
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Paperback
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0857506668
| 9780857506665
| 0857506668
| 3.68
| 8,100
| Nov 19, 2024
| Nov 19, 2024
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it was amazing
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You can find this review of The Half King on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to the publisher for giving me this amazing opport You can find this review of The Half King on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to the publisher for giving me this amazing opportunity to read The High King early! All opinions started in this review are my own. Every reader’s relationship with a book is personal and special to them. It’s an emotional—sometimes even sacred—journey that is embarked upon everytime a reader flips open the first page of a book, be it on a paperback, hardback, a kindle or an audiobook. A book can come easily to us, or with some effort; sometimes it even takes a few tries to connect to it. Each one is special in its own way, but those books that just flow from the first page straight into the doorways of our heart, will always hold a special place in our minds and lives. The Half King by Melissa Landers was one such book. From the very first page, Landers had me enraptured by her words. With deeply emotional writing, that spears straight into the heart of the reader, The Half King starts off quietly but powerfully. Having gotten used to reading books that have loud and heart-pounding beginnings, I’d forgotten the beauty of subtlety. The whole book reads quite a bit like an orchestra. A quiet start, that immediately grabs your attention which then builds and builds to a crescendo that you never expect, that finally leads to an end that leaves your mind racing on the probabilities of what comes next. The narration in The Half King is done primarily by the FMC and having always loved reading books in single person perspective, I sank effortlessly into Cerise’s mind. Having lived in the thoughts of our compassionate, determined and grounded lead for two days, I have two things to say: one, I have never felt more at home than when I was in Cerise’s mind and two, I have not a single complaint to share about my experience. The fantasy genre—usually in any form it manifests in—is often known to render a great deal of pain upon the reader. Many readers nowadays begin their journey with a fantasy series with a strong fence around their hearts, bracing for pain and anticipating it at every corner. For the first time in a long time, I felt a sense of safety that comes from knowing that this book will not rake its claws into me in places that I am vulnerable in. No, this book will cradle my vulnerabilities and trade blows with me where I’m strong. Does this mean that there are no plot twists, or action, or pain or fear? Not at all. The book is teeming with emotion. Absolutely brimming with it. But it is so wonderfully done that anything you feel while reading will always remind you that you’re safe. Landers has you. Often it’s easy to separate the different elements that make up a book and observe how they influence it. But in The Half King, all the elements worked together at the same time like a well oiled machine, in such a way that you could not separate one from the other. However, I will do my best to explain the nature of them as individually as I can. The main plot of The Half King makes itself known at the most basic level very near to the beginning. Each page turn from that moment is nothing but the many needles that are dragged across the metaphorical tapestry of this story, to slowly create a complex artistry that makes up the heart of what this book is. There are many sub-plots to this story that add such a unique depth it, that in many ways we can all relate to. There are political, emotional, social and spiritual aspects to this book that I had not expected to encounter, but I absolutely adored. The world created by Landers was so unique that it was truly a breath of fresh air. There maybe recognisable elements—such as a Priest or a Prince—but they’re all woven into a set-up that’s singular to The High King. However any book is only as good as its world building, and even though I may not be adept at picking apart where the world building starts and the plot and character arcs end, I can say that the transition I experienced from page one of knowing nothing about the world to understanding how the world works was smooth. With shocking revelations, strategic call-backs and stakes that build with every chapter, The High King was certainly a delightfully emotional read. The pace of this book was wonderfully even. Other than perhaps a 10% in the last 80%-100% of the book that just races, the book remains wonderfully even, ensuring all the space and time required for all the elements of the book are provided judiciously. There was never a moment that I felt disoriented when I picked up the book after a short break, nor a moment of drag or confusion while reading it. Trope lists have become a big part of what lures a reader to a book and this is very true for me as well. They’re a great way to keep us aware of what to expect and chase that high we got from the first time we read our favourite trope (that we’ve likely been searching for since then). One of my favourite tropes is actually the found family trope. I’ll never forget the first book that introduced me to it, and my heart will likely never not soften for whenever I see it on scene. Thus, the characters of a book are often my most vulnerable spot. If the characters are well done, then usually the book has secured itself a seat in my heart… and if they have a heartfelt connection to one another that comes from camaraderie and respect, there’s nothing I want more. I cannot explain the way the characters in this book—despite being quite a few—stole their way into my heart. The author has done a great job establishing each of them, writing their stories into their dialogues and hiding their secrets in their actions. The revelation of each character, their past and their stories is my favourite part of The High King. As painful as it may be, nothing in my eyes can be better than well written characters with heartfelt character growth and mutual respect and love for one another. This book is a five star read for me. From beginning to end, the book embraced me in a warm hug that spoke to my soul, tickled my amusement and broke my heart. I highly recommend The High King by Melissa Landers, for it is silent, poignant and deadly in ways you’ll never see coming. Please check trigger warnings as always! A very happy reading to you. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Nov 07, 2024
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Nov 14, 2024
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Nov 07, 2024
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Hardcover
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B0DJPY9X38
| 4.27
| 14,486
| Oct 31, 2024
| Oct 31, 2024
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it was amazing
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You can find this review of A Curse of Fate on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to GD Author Services and the author Jaymin Eve You can find this review of A Curse of Fate on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to GD Author Services and the author Jaymin Eve for giving me this amazing opportunity to read A Curse of Fate early! I cannot explain the devastation this book has inflicted upon me. At the same time, I cannot explain how much this book felt like a blessing to my slump healing heart. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 25, 2024
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Oct 26, 2024
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Oct 25, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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1649374054
| 9781649374059
| 1649374054
| 3.61
| 15,273
| Oct 22, 2024
| Oct 08, 2024
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it was amazing
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You can find this review of Bloodguard on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to Kaye Publicity and the publisher for providing me You can find this review of Bloodguard on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to Kaye Publicity and the publisher for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review! The single most daunting fear any reader experiences is when they begin to sense themselves stumble, spiral and fall into a slump. There can be many reasons a reader experiences a slump and at the same time no reason at all. It’s an extremely unpredictable occurrence that can be ridiculously complex to navigate out of, for reasons unknown to date. My favourite books are those that can miraculously catch and keep your interest despite the slump. I’m proud (and extremely relieved) to share that Bloodguard is one of those books. It takes a lot for a book to be a slump-killer, from immersive storytelling, heart-moving characters, brutal pacing to a tightly knit plot; and Bloodguard has all of those. Dual perspective story-telling has become an extremely popular style of writing and while it has never been my favourite, I’m starting to see and appreciate the many merits to it. I enjoy understanding the purpose of the choices an author makes in their book—be it a scene placement, writing style or character death— and the more coherent the reason for these choices, the better my experience. Throughout her book, Robson has made many such choices that eventually layer to form an impressive tapestry that validates the presence and importance of every single detail that is featured in it. Alternating perspectives between the main characters is one such detail that provides great meaning to the readers, helping us connect to them, perceive the stark differences in their lives, understand their flaws and root for their beliefs. I was immediately enamoured by both the MCs in Bloodguard from the moment their voices were revealed. The world-building in Bloodguard, in my opinion happens on every page and is hidden within every moment. Robson has truly used every tool in her skill set to create a cumulatively comprehensive structure to explain the rules of her world, the lives of its people, the politics and state of the Kingdom and then she has expertly tied them all together in a way that connects all the dots and lights up your reader mind in shock and awe. Every reader, including me, enjoys a well plotted story with foreshadowing, emotions and plot twists and every page of Bloodguard is evidence that Robson has created and executed exactly that. The pace of Bloodguard was extremely even. I found myself making surprising headway, despite my slump, until about 70% of the book. Once we cross the 70% mark, the book flies. The stakes propel to monumental heights, the story starts to come together in a way you do not expect, there are tears, betrayal and drama and an overwhelming sense of helplessness that overtakes you as you wonder how Robson is going to possibly be able to resolve these plot knots. However, there’s not a moment to think, to pause or to suspect as Robson ties your eyes, hands and heart to her words and submerges you in the experience so exhilarating, painful and beautiful that you wonder—despite being an avid reader—how words on a paper can render an experience as vivid as this was. The true heart of Bloodguard lies rooted in its characters. Yes, the perspective only alternatives between the two MCs, but there are so many wonderful secondary and tertiary characters that are such an important part of this book. Outside of the fact that well written secondary and tertiary characters add a lot of personality to any story and reinforce the readers’ understanding of the world, it makes so much sense to have them in a book focused on three different aspects of the world—a flourishing Kingdom, its determined Princess and a Gladiator from a small village. Robson has clearly taken all this into account as she plunges us deep into the lives of the common people, the Nobles, the voiceless and the loud. I enjoyed the politics, emotions and presence of all these characters and was genuinely surprised with how well the author had fleshed out all the characters, even while ensuring they were more than just plot devices. While found family might not be one of the tropes that this book describes itself to have, I would personally add that to it. The sense of togetherness that comes from some of the scenes is so profound and I hold those moments close to my heart. The plot in Bloodguard has a great way of distracting you from its true intentions. It holds your hand, walks you to the garden, shows you the flowers and it’s thorns and you watch mesmerised until you see a flash of light and look up and find the shooting star that was the actual event you were meant to witness. Then, when the shooting star casts its light over the whole story, revealing it for what it really is, you are left reeling. You won’t see it coming and the thing is you don’t have to. Cecy Robson has done all the heavy lifting, so that the reader can sit back and enjoy. The final, but most crucial part of Bloodguard that drenches every single one of its pages is the writing. Robson had my heart from the very start with her words and while Bloodguard is not without its faults, the writing and narration of the story is done with so much of emotion, it truly felt like the author has poured herself into the pages of her romantasy. Robson’s style was gripping, heart wrenching, hopeful and powerful and carried Bloodguard all the way through. Even the animals in the book stir our sentiments and ignite our spirits and if that’s not good writing, what else is it? However, I will also agree that there are some aspects of Bloodguard that are less developed than the rest. The romance, as sweet and lovely as it is, has more of an enemies to lovers set-up and not the actual trope, as there’s somewhat of an insta-connection that develops swiftly over the course of the book. There was also one or two other aspects that had a great effect towards the end because of the writing but was not built as well and come as a surprise both in a way that it was meant to and in a way it was not. But there’s just something about Bloodguard that makes you look past all this and see the soul of the book; which is that it’s an entertaining, immersive, emotional tale of two unlikely people meeting and their worlds colliding in an explosion of colour, pain, healing and change. Bloodguard was a solid 4.5 stars read for me. I absolutely cannot wait for you to dive into this emotional adventure! Please check content warnings before reading this book, there are themes in it that can be triggering for some. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 16, 2024
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Oct 20, 2024
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Oct 16, 2024
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Hardcover
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1763660206
| 4.29
| 411
| unknown
| Feb 01, 2025
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it was amazing
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You can find this review of A House of Cloaks and Daggers on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to the author for providing me wit You can find this review of A House of Cloaks and Daggers on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to the author for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review! Disclaimer: No one’s hair was pulled out during the course of the time this book was read. Though I came close. This review contains mentions of headstones, cortisol levels, blood pressure machines and cookies. If any of this is enticing, confusing or stressful; then good. You have been warned of what the book will make you feel. Proceed with caution. Still here? Your funeral. (HA! Early headstone reference!) If I could review this book in one sentence it would be: “The stress was stressing.” Having gotten that poignant phrase out of the way, I’d like to talk a little about what drew me to A House of Cloaks and Daggers. If you haven’t checked out the author’s threads/Instagram page, I would recommend you do so immediately. Why? Firstly, thank you for asking. Secondly, it’s because the author has the sweetest little posts about her conversations with her MMC. I think I sank down the rabbit hole of those posts and laughed so hard I couldn’t imagine not walking down the path of curiosity for AHoCaD, and so that’s what I did. I obsessed over the blurb, stalked the author’s page a lot and nearly passed out when this baby landed in my Kindle. But of course, being an adult means you know you have responsibilities and that meant I had to read AHoCaD a little later than I had initially planned. But the moment I sank into it, I straight up drowned. The book should’ve come with a warning, honestly. The writing, according to me, is the biggest tool of deception the author has wielded against us. With magic and mayhem, we’re lead straight into madness, secrets and chaos. The narration of the story happens primarily in the FMC’s perspective and that adds a great deal of tension, pain and mystery to the story and the writing highlights all these elements unapologetically. Loren describes an absolutely beautiful vision for us, before ripping it away so we face the harsh reality of the price of being in the world she has crafted. It’s honestly lovely. Nothing to worry about at all. The pace of the book begins almost leisurely. Lazily. Just a bookworm. In a bookstore. Doing book things. But, before you know it, there’s about seven things happening at the same time; drawing your attention in five different directions. The thing is, you know you have questions, but you don’t have time to think of the questions you have; because the moment you’re in your mind wondering about something, four new things have happened on page. Books have always meant to remove you from reality and I think Loren’s book does exactly that at every turn; keeping you immersed in its story until you suddenly surface realizing you’ve finished the book. I have no way to explain the pace, as much as I can say it’s like what happens when you actually experience something. You don’t realize the time that goes by until after. I remember very well I began to cry at one point because of something happening on scene and looked down accidentally and saw that I was at the 50% mark. To say the least, it came as a real shock because it felt like I’d just started the book. Don’t worry about the crying part though. Another thing to not worry about at all. Who says readers don’t live dangerously? I’d like to submit my cortisol and adrenaline levels from the two days I read AHoCaD as evidence to my stressful life. Thank you, your Honour. Circling back. There was something I found quite interesting about the FMC in this book, or perhaps it’s the way Loren has written her. I enjoyed the consistency to her character that the author has maintained throughout with regard to one particular thing—that of course I can’t reveal because it’s a spoiler—but would’ve been such a great addition to speak about in this review. The characters in any story make up the most vital part of it. Either you love them, hate them, relate to them or want to protect them. It’s not often though that you feel most of this for the same character. It was such an interesting (read: tortuous) journey to go through, to watch the dynamics that unfurl among the primary and secondary characters and their choices and situations. I will say that a lot of the experience is greatly coloured by the heroine’s perspective—which is honestly not too different from ours—so the level you’re going to relate to her and her problems might surprise you. The world building too has the same advantage for the above stated reasons. The narrator of the story is like us, the world is foreign to her, the culture is foreign to her, the people are foreign to her. She learns everything the way we likely do too, in bits and pieces and pain and agony. With lessons and experiences and confusion and revelations. However, I still feel we’ve only seen perhaps 30-40% of the world and what it is. Additionally, some part of me wonders if the heroine herself has things to reveal; whether this is something she’s aware of or unaware of is what changes the tide of the next book emotionally for the reader. I’m pretty sure from the beginning of this book, I felt the build up of emotions that began to swirl into a tornado of anger, pain and disbelief as the book went on. At one point, I shook my Kindle and went “WHAT’S HAPPENING”. Of course, the Kindle stayed true to its abilities and revealed nothing, so I went to the author and asked the same thing. She laughed and told me she hoped I enjoyed the second half of the book. *stares blankly at a wall* To say the second half of the book wrecked me emotionally is not saying enough. I explained to the author that she should get me a blood pressure machine with how much I stressed over her book and guess what she said? She told me postage would be wild. *unhinged cackle* I quote this incident to you to highlight that you can expect this to be EXACTLY what happens in the book. You’re drowning in overwhelm, but the characters will only laugh at the face of your pain and say you haven’t seen anything yet. Or they’ll crack a very ill-timed joke that just might endear you to them. But either way it’s a set-up for more pain. I’ve never gone screaming into an author’s DMs saying “I KNEW IT!”. From this day forward, I can’t that anymore. Because I did. Very loudly. Is this my “Eureka!” moment? Is there only insanity after this? Maybe tomorrow I’ll be talking to a pigeon. Who knows? Like I said, nothing to worry about. I have a special message for the ARC readers who are starting A House of Cloaks and Daggers. I just want to say, welcome! We’re extremely pleased to have you join us. We may have lost our sanity about halfway into the book, but we have cookies if you’d like some and we’re mostly known to share. So wear your gold dresses and sharp daggers and be ready to lose your mind. Also to anyone who sees this review, please ensure if I ever have a headstone or an auto-biography, it says “Stressed but Blessed.” and underneath P.S.: Loren Little, I’m looking at you for the former. Five stars! The book isn’t perfect. But it was extremely immersive, filled with pain, humour and magic. I expect only worse in book two. Let’s go, Loren! ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 23, 2024
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Oct 29, 2024
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Oct 12, 2024
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Paperback
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B0DBSY81NM
| 4.57
| 478
| unknown
| Sep 20, 2024
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it was amazing
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You can find this review of Onyx Cage on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to the authors and to Luna Blooms PA Services for prov You can find this review of Onyx Cage on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to the authors and to Luna Blooms PA Services for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review! As the nature of this book is a companion novel to the main series and reads in the POV of another main character, please expect spoilers for the main series. Do not venture further if you do not wish to be spoiled! I think there’s something wonderfully devastating about being ruined by the same series twice. I first came across the Lochlann Feuds series through BOMM (so big shout out and thank you to them). I wasn’t sure what I expected diving into the series but I cannot ever forget all the emotions the books churned within me. When the series was then revealed to contain four books instead of three, there was likely no one happier than me. And then, there was promise of the main character in the book getting their own POV. As readers, we’ve all been sitting on pins and needles, because is it possible to actually capture the inner workings of this character that we all fell in love with. Whom, we hated, then begrudgingly understood, then laughed with, then cried with, then fell and fell and fell for. To be reading a book in Evander’s perspective was daunting; which makes me wonder how it must’ve been for the authors to have to sit and write it. But whatever it is that Mahle and Madison felt if it was anxiety, or fear or worry or trepidation, none of that is reflected in their work. In fact, I don’t think there could have been any way in which this book could’ve been better than it was. I have no feedback, no complaints; only feelings. Intense, heartbreaking ones. Too big for my body ones. Take over your world ‘til you’re finished with the book ones. I think a lot of the struggle with writing a MMC perspective book is dealing with the hype of it, living up to the expectations and love of the readers, ensuring the book does not read like a repeat of the original perspective and all this while being true to the character. Especially an MMC like Evander who has always been a harsher character whose lighter, softer aspects we grow to see and love. The worry is can the readers handle the ugly truth of the harsher sides? Will we fall out of love with him? See the beast and forget the man? But does this mean the character’s darker shades should be hidden? No. The true injustice is in doing that and I’m so proud of the authors for not shying away from shedding light on the pain and burden of being an Heir of a Clan. (Can you tell I have a lot of feelings about this?) What I’ve noticed thus far is how pleasantly surprised I’ve been by two books that I’ve read in the MMC’s perspective. One, was this (of course) and the other was The Midnight Sun by Stephanie Meyer—which I was personally surprised by and enjoyed. Often when you read a single POV book that focuses on the FMC’s life, there’s a lot of gap in information about many things that the MMC is doing; from their current situations, past experiences, to their motives and usually we enjoy the mystery of that… of finding out about all this slowly and we don’t think too much about what they’re doing when they’re off-scene on a page. These books now need to fill in those gaps and I think Onyx Cage (which is by the way, only Vol 1) has done a fantastic job of doing this and of balancing the presence of the very many elements quoted above. My favourite part of this book—which my best friend can attest to because it was her favourite too—was just how much Rowan frustrated Evander. The emotional progress that you see in Tarnished Crown in Rowan is what you see (in his own unique way, of course) in Evander in Onyx Cage. The way the laughed and laughed and laughed at the Heir to Clan Bear who goes from both loving to hate her and tolerating her to understanding her, reluctantly admiring her and then… more. It was interesting to find out that there was so much more complexities to perceive in the same circumstances as books one and two while being in Evander’s mind. Truly, it explains how much the Princess missed and how much wider our understanding grows about the world and its politics. Big brownie points for the way the authors ensured the world we see through Rowan’s eyes is not the world Evander lives in and of course, in its own way, vice versa. As much as I loved being in Rowan’s head and enjoyed her take on things, there’s something extremely deep, difficult, complex and of course sarcastic, in being in Evander’s mind and I can’t wait for the rest of the series just to see him further manoeuvre between what he wants and the politics of getting it (as, in this book he leans more into balancing things rather than pursuing what he wants; for good reasons of course). Five stars. HIGHLY recommend. There’s always one word that reading Tarnished Crown made me think of during its more intense and inside-our-own-bubble sequences (loved living through those scenes again omg) and Evander doesn’t shy away from calling it that exact word. Nearly cried, not gonna lie. I’m not sure if I did a good job reviewing as much as I gushed, but OC has released and is available for FREE for all KU subscribers. Book two releases November and I’m so grateful to be on the ARC team I could cry. ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Jan 21, 2025
Sep 29, 2024
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Jan 21, 2025
Oct 04, 2024
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Sep 29, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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B0CW1GQ7HL
| 4.35
| 14,620
| unknown
| Aug 23, 2024
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it was amazing
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You can find this review of Vale of Dreams on my blog, Heart's Content! The biggest shout out and thank you to the authors for providing me with a comp You can find this review of Vale of Dreams on my blog, Heart's Content! The biggest shout out and thank you to the authors for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review! When I read the blurb for Vale of Dreams, I absolutely knew this is a book that I'm going to love. Avalon Tower laid the foundation of the world crafted by Rivers and Crawford; that's both unique and dangerous filled with memorable characters, humour, angst and romance. However, between the two books, VoD was definitely my favourite. Why? Because Avalon Tower did all the heavy lifting to ensure that VoD could fly. If you're here as you're reading Avalon Tower and wondering how the second book was, trust me and get through it and dive straight into book two. It'll be worth it! I was pleasantly surprised to have remembered so much from book one, that book two felt like I was diving back into a social group/set-up I'd known all my life. That being said, I was also extremely grateful for the thoughtful summary that the authors added to the beginning of VoD—however, I did NOT expect to burst out laughing mid-read at the way it was written. The writing (thus), I would say is one of the strongest elements of Vale of Dreams (gosh, the title makes so much sense!) and that's something I think Avalon Tower can say for itself as well. With high stakes situations, angst that amps the romantic elements of the book, secrets, betrayals, surprising reveals and of course a streak of humour that runs through the course of the book, the writing in VoD is everything that you're looking for, especially when you're mid-slump like I was. I've coined this phrase called the "Second Book Syndrome", where essentially book two surpasses greatly everything that book one did and you see a glimpse of the direction that the authors are actually taking the plot. The plot of this series has always been something that's bigger than you'd think to expect after reading the blurb; and book two takes even that up a notch. The first twenty percent set-up the whole stage for the book and then with the introduction of a specific character whose name I will not take but you have likely already guessed, the book just rockets. I personally think that despite all the surprise reveals, devastation, pain and emotion written into this book, I have absolutely no idea where the next book will take us and given that I've read nearly all my life by this point, it's not typical to surprise me and leave me with zero sense of what's-coming-next. This book, for me, followed The Reverse Progress Conundrum. (Yes, another coin I termed. It's a whole thing.) The Reverse Progress Conundrum is essentially where I notice myself feeling like the percentage bar in my Kindle wasn’t evenly matched to my internal perception of how much I’ve read (which was much higher than the page mark). This then begins to reverse, as I progress further into the book, where I feel the percentage bar is moving much faster than I thought I was reading. After the twenty percent mark, the pace just took off for me. With politics, emotional entanglements, several near death situations, moral dilemmas and heart wrenching moments, there's not a moment to breathe while reading Vale of Dreams. Did I mentioned I was facing a difficult slump while reading this book? Slump has officially been defeated I can imagine I'd have read this four times faster if I wasn't wrestling with a slump, though. The characters in this book are aplenty. However, everyone is already well-established in book one and anyone new is well written with a solid introduction. My favourite part however was how well balanced the many characters' appearance on scene was, with the scenes of the main characters. The former establishes a great sense of urgency, narrating the story from all sides with regard to how the situation is outside of the bubble the FMC is locked within; and the latter draws what promises to be a complex canvas of emotion and vulnerability between the main characters. I think that characters add a lot of layers to a story and in this book, the authors have truly worked their magic really well in that regard. I bet they're sitting beside one another in front of a fire, clinking glasses and giggling at a job well done and how they left us hanging. I officially have a favourite cliff hanger and that's the one in Vale of Dreams. Strange isn't it, to see those two words together (favourite and cliffhanger)? Especially after how much we've all been wounded from them. However, this one was perfect to keep me super excited and anticipating without any sense of dread. Wheee! Five stars! I absolutely enjoyed the second instalment of the Fey Spy Academy series and I cannot recommend enough! Both the books in this series has released on Kindle Unlimited! Happy reading and please check trigger warnings, there's a lot of heavy and graphic content that can be difficult for some. Read safely! ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 07, 2024
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Sep 20, 2024
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Sep 07, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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9798991248259
| B0D5F63G1N
| 4.19
| 83
| unknown
| Aug 30, 2024
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really liked it
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You can find this review of A God of Moonlight and Stardust on my blog, Heart's Content! The biggest shout out and thank you to the author, for providi You can find this review of A God of Moonlight and Stardust on my blog, Heart's Content! The biggest shout out and thank you to the author, for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review! A God of Moonlight and Stardust—compared to most of the mammoth-sized books I’d read just before—is surprisingly only 328 pages. However, perhaps because of the nature of the theme, or the emotional struggle of the characters, the book (for me) felt much longer than that. Not in a bad way, but in a way that surprised me. There are many things alluring about AGoMaS, but nothing prepares you for what’s inside. The book begins with a 3-4 paged backstory/history about the world we’re to enter and I’m extremely fond of that because you know the author means business with regard to their world building. You’re nearly immediately aware that Mina Brower’s world is unlike any that you’ve read before; granted it can feel familiar if you’ve read or watched other books rooted in mythology, but that’s about it. I personally enjoyed that there were many layers to the world building; for example outside of the world possessing a story, rules and regime of its own, there’s a backstory to how and why the world exists in this story. Outside of this, of course there’s the nature and theme of the plot that follows the characters and their life. I personally feel all these aspects were well done and given how much had to be accomplished within 300-odd pages, the author has truly managed to keep me with her book every step of the way as she introduced and involved us in her world where technology and magic coexist. I would describe the plot in AGoMaS to be somewhat of a mystery. I think the series actually has a deeper, more complex plot that is yet to be revealed. I would describe this book as primarily occupying the role of setting the stage for the rest of the series (something that’s seen often in many other first books as well). Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot that happens: characters introduced, world explained and explored some, some revelations of the past of some of the characters, relationship politics and development, emotional complexities and even somewhat of a cliffhanger. It has everything that would constitute it complete, but once you’ve read it you know book two is likely going to pack a punch, because book one has done all the heavy lifting. As I mentioned earlier, the book isn’t big. In fact now that I think about it, the author has truly packed a lot into a comparatively smaller book than is usual nowadays for a fantasy. However, like I’d said, I felt a heaviness while reading this book. That’s not to say the pace of AGoMaS is slow; in fact, whenever I was reading, the pages went by fast. But, I did take a lot of breaks while reading the first half. Was it the nature of the theme? Or how the voice of the protagonist read, or her situation? I’m not sure. But I felt the weight of the book a lot. Which, again, for a 300 paged book to accomplish is a plus in my head. It’s likely the book will read much faster to others, so definitely expect swift pacing, magic and mayhem. Romance too! A love.. square maybe? I did think I struggled a little with the writing. Not in the way one would presume, but in a way I think the author intended. The book primarily reads in the FMC’s perspective and a large part of it (perhaps one third) reads with a lot of emotion and a lot of chaos. If you read the book, you’d understand the purpose of that; which is honestly two fold (and can’t be explained without spoiling). The last few chapters of the book are what take on a narrative that’s got more clarity and more sense of purpose. Which again, makes so much sense with regard to what’s happening in the story. If the author intended this, truly hats off for accomplishing it. The haze versus the clarity was extremely evident to me and the way the first half felt as opposed to the second half was so distinct and influenced my reading experience too. I had to come and go while reading the first half but could stay reading throughout the second half. Another compliment I’d truly like to give the author is about the love square. Usually I’m extremely picky about anything that’s love entanglement related complexities. I’ve never enjoyed it and rarely look forward to it—angst between protagonists I don’t mind, confusion within a protagonist I sometimes struggle with. But somehow the author truly made this work because of the elements she introduced to every interaction. It’s honestly also true how emotional vulnerability is like blood in the water and sharks will circle, so I personally loved the protagonist attempting to find her feet in the chaos before diving into anything fully. The characters are truly aplenty! It’s honestly another hat tip to the author’s writing/story telling style that they’re all well written. Every character is introduced, established and reinforced well! The budding female friendships, the complex dynamics of past and present and the heroine beginning the journey of finding herself and her place in the world were all well done. However, again, this is just the beginning. If you’re expecting big revelations and characters being sorted in their roles and their lives, this book isn’t that. But I’m guessing, that’s where the author wants to take them. So… stay tuned! I’m oscillating between four and four and a half stars. So take your pick! Please check trigger warnings as always, themes in this book can be triggering for some. Be safe and happy reading. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 30, 2024
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Sep 07, 2024
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Aug 30, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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1649376561
| 9781649376565
| 1649376561
| 4.14
| 68,307
| Sep 03, 2024
| Sep 03, 2024
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it was amazing
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You can find this review of The Games Gods Play on my blog, Heart's Content! The biggest shout out and thank you to Kaye Publicity and the publisher, E You can find this review of The Games Gods Play on my blog, Heart's Content! The biggest shout out and thank you to Kaye Publicity and the publisher, Entangled Publishing, for giving me the opportunity to read The Games Gods Play early and providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review! I’ve always thought movies and books are an experience and uniquely so to each person that watches/reads them. Just as each person’s experience is unique, the aspect of the content that calls to them is unique too. For some it’s the reviews, for some the trailer, or the blurb, the representation, the quotes, the hype etc,. I’ve spoken before about the two types of lures I’ve experienced that drew me to books: one, the cover and the other, the blurb; but for the first time it was an excerpt that sparked my interest. When the publisher had shared the link to the excerpt for The Games Gods Play, it was simple curiosity that drove me to click on it. But once I’d read the little excerpt that describes a moment between the primary characters, there was just something about the protagonist’s voice that drew me in and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The world-building in any story—especially in a genre like high fantasy—is what can make or break a book. Abigail Owen is clearly very aware of that, because she begins establishing the rules, elements and nature of the world in The Games Gods Play from the very first page. The author has created a delectable blend of familiar and novel; with well-known Gods and legends from the Greek Mythology paired with dangerous competitions, high stakes and heart-moving characters. The above elements are then supported by Owen’s unpredictable and immersive take on all these aspects by entwining them together into a rush of an experience that has you by the throat. The writing, in my opinion, is this book’s strongest feature. Owen has chosen to have The Games Gods Play unfold through the eyes of her FMC, Lyra. The book reads on a knife edge between humour and heart-wrenching emotions; a difficult balance to acquire and maintain, without taking away from the seriousness of the theme and at the same time not letting the readers drown in it. The visuals that Owen paints with her words, the characters she introduces and makes us fall in love with, the emotional and physical challenges she creates, escalates and resolves are all written with the kind of skill and finesse that keep you immersed in every moment. The plot in this book was so wonderfully hidden, unravelling in layers, that it surprises us each time one peels back to reveal more of the truth. Despite having read the whole book, I truly believe I only have some of the puzzle pieces, but do not have enough information to put them together. There’s a very clear plot purpose to this book and my favourite part is that the moment you underestimate it, you learn just how well Owen has played you. Additionally, being a reader most of my life, it’s very rare I read a book that surprises me as much or as many times as The Games Gods Play did. I could guess exactly one thing and I got it both right and wrong in this nearly 600 page book wherein a lot happens—sometimes on the very same page. The characters in this book are aplenty; which is to be expected given the number of Gods there are (and then add to that each of their champions). With high fantasy, most authors usually introduce characters slowly; sometimes even over the course of a series. However Owen did no such thing, she took a risk and it paid off! It’s one thing if there are a multitude of characters that you don’t need to remember or know, and another thing entirely when there are many characters that add important information and serve plot purpose and are required to be known and remembered. The Games Gods Play is the latter and the author has done a fantastic job incorporating her primary and secondary characters into her story at perfect intervals and over and over to firmly establish them in our minds and hearts. A special mention to how much I enjoyed that the author chose to depict her protagonist as someone painted in misery, but at the same time somehow always looking up at the stars. Additionally, given that it’s Lyra’s voice I’d fallen in love with and single person perspectives are my favourite narrative style to read, this book felt like it was written for me. As mentioned earlier, this book is nearly 600 pages, but does it feel that way? Absolutely not. The pages race by you, the words acting as your ride and you’re flying, feeling absolutely powerless to put a stop to or change course at any point. Owen’s got the wheel and you’re a passenger to her whims; and what an experience the journey was! Five stars! Are you looking for a rush? Or are you looking for a book that can tug your heart right out of your chest and trample it? Or maybe action, romance, adrenaline, found family, magic and secrets? If the answer to any of this is yes, then read The Games Gods Play. If the answer or all of this is yes, then definitely read The Games Gods Play. Please check trigger warnings, there is content in this book that can be triggering to some. Happy reading. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 22, 2024
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Aug 25, 2024
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Aug 22, 2024
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Hardcover
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B0DWW19KMC
| 3.78
| 4,772
| Jul 12, 2024
| Jul 12, 2024
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really liked it
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You can find this review of The Orc and the Innkeeper by Cora Crane on my blog, Heart's Content! The biggest shout out and thank you to BookSirens and You can find this review of The Orc and the Innkeeper by Cora Crane on my blog, Heart's Content! The biggest shout out and thank you to BookSirens and the author for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review! I’m aware that covers often don’t represent the content of a book well, but have you seen a sweeter cover? I mean, yes, of course I read the blurb before diving into the book, but that cover was a wonderful influence on me. I will say though, that this is likely one of the few books wherein the cover truly does reflect the tone and nature of the book. If you’ve read the synopsis, you know the heroine was bullied by the hero as a high schooler; however the author has made a fantastic choice of writing the story in the present. Which means we see the hero and the heroine as who they are today and not who they were decades back. Which means we only hear about heroine’s pain and see a few memories from the past than live it; which makes it so much easier for the reader to forgive. Outside of that strategy, the book also follows a very simple, but emotional narrative that alternatives neatly between the MMC and the FMC’s POV. Their voices have so much heart in them that it’s so easy for your own heart to melt in understanding for them both. I think it was another really smart choice to have alternating dual perspectives that keep us informed of the working of the mind and emotions of both the primary characters. I will say that despite the seemingly heavy themes—be it discrimination or bullying—there’s a certain gentleness with which every aspect is handled. I don’t mean to say that it’s handled lightly, just that it won’t rip your heart out the way those topics typically would. The book is much smaller than is typical—I would categorise it closer to novella sized—and I think the author has done their best to create and resolve all the sub and main plot threads within that length. The plot is quite simple, but the author does a great job adding complexities and turmoil to it—but again, the book is sweet before it’s anything else. There’s an obvious dilemma that is caused by the set-up—bully turned love interest—that yes, the author used a fantastic strategy to tackle… however as a reader some part of you is aware it’s not that simple. While I will admit the author incorporated as many emotional elements as possible during their interactions, the book length only allows so much time and stage before which resolution has to take place. That was perhaps the only stumble during an otherwise graceful dance. (If you’d read the book, you’d grin at that last sentence). The book is such a comfortable size that the pace too is wonderfully comfortable. The Orc and the Innkeeper is extremely easy to read and lets you slip and disappear into the magical world of Elderberry Falls. The world building is done with such an ease that makes understanding it a breeze as well. Despite the many beings and magical creatures there are in the world created by Cora Crane, you’re not overwhelmed by the information or feel it’s inadequate. I think despite the many characters in the book, Crane has done a fantastic job in introducing them so well. Again, in such a short book, the fact that all those characters were fleshed out and established so well is a great feat! This is especially impressive because both MCs have worlds that are separate from one another and some characters that are known only to them. So it was two times the secondary and tertiary characters that needed to be created and introduced. Bravo! The book is a little slice of sweet that you can get lost into for a few hours. It’s also available for free for all KU subscribers. Four stars! Check trigger warnings and happy happy reading! ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 16, 2024
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Aug 17, 2024
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Aug 16, 2024
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ebook
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B0CXJQ2L77
| 4.20
| 519
| unknown
| Aug 15, 2024
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it was amazing
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You can find this review of Null & Void on my blog, Heart's Content! The biggest shout out and thank you to the author, R. Moody, for providing me with You can find this review of Null & Void on my blog, Heart's Content! The biggest shout out and thank you to the author, R. Moody, for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review! I know they say that one mustn’t judge a book by its cover, but I think what most people don’t realize about book lovers is that it’s not an intellectual judgement that’s happening when we see a cover; but something more emotional… maybe intuitive too. That’s what I would call whatever I felt when I saw the cover for Null & Void. I hadn’t even read the blurb yet and I was drawn to what the cover depicted. Then, I did read the blurb and a metaphorical gavel slammed down in my mind and a voice yelled “Sold!”. I got really lucky getting chosen to be an ARC reader for the book and I couldn’t wait to start reading. The first thing I thought when I opened the book was that I was so glad it was as long as it was and I was so sad it wasn’t longer (book-lover problems, but they still matter). The moment I started reading, I was immersed. The author once said her writing is harsh, that there aren’t any flowery descriptions to be found. I would personally like to rephrase that a little. Moody’s writing is one of the strongest aspects of the book, possessing the ability to capture the reader’s heart, string our emotions up and puppeteer them. Yes, her writing is thorny; so well suited to the voice of the FMC, whose mind we exist in primary. But I think the author forgot that where there are thorns, there are roses (anyone that mutters “There are also cactuses,” can come and fight me. Also cactuses bear flowers too, so hush). So, maybe her writing isn’t flowery, but her book has the most heartwarming tenor to it. Even with all the pain, hurt and suffering, there is love; so much love. The world-building in Null & Void kicks off from page one. Actually, it kicks off from that glorious map (I mean, have you seen it?), that is supported greatly by the detailed glossary that I read My absolute favourite style of storytelling is the single first person perspective; which is what Null & Void follows. No one could have been happier than me. I think the rule of storytelling is not to tell believable stories, but to make extraordinary stories believable. Our FMC, Mika, is the author’s most prized tool that she wields with great skill to ensnare her readers’ minds. The author has ensured that every single emotion that may exist, has been entwined into the story and the narrative holds you with said emotion without letting you have a stray thought that removes you, even for a moment, from the words on the page. Like I said earlier, we’re strung up on Moody’s puppet strings the whole time. I think for the most part, as much as a cover of a book intrigues readers, so do blurbs. We feel something while reading the blurb, sense a potential and want to dive right in. This potential is then defined and decided by the plot. I cannot explain how inter-connected every single moment of Null & Void is to the overall plot, to all the sub-plots and to all the little moments sprinkled throughout the book. When the actual understanding of the plot begins to bloom, I guarantee shock and horror. I can’t wait to see where the next book takes the plot and how it increases the stakes. You can also expect plot twists you didn’t even think to consider would happen; which in my mind as a reader is a big plus. The characters in the book—as I’ve mentioned nearly under every category so far—are one of the strongest, most important elements of Null & Void. The primary characters which include (in my head) Mika and her team truly are the pillars that hold up the book in many ways. While I agree every element is equally important to a story, I cannot stress the influence good characters have on a book and in readers’ hearts. I think that the five characters have a wonderful balance that you genuinely feel when they’re together—so much so you can sense a discomfort when one of them is missing—and I think that’s beautiful. It’s rare and special to find characters you love so quickly, so easily and I cherished the experience of reading Mika’s story, with all its thorns, hurt and pain. With all its love, misunderstandings and vulnerability. The secondary and tertiary characters are many, however, they’re all well fleshed out, introduced and slotted into their roles neatly. There’s no confusion, strain or struggle to place them. Oh and the emotions some of them trigger… I cannot explain it, it can only be experienced. I’m not sure how to even talk about the pace in this book. I swear I was swept into a time vortex because each time I checked how much I’d read, I was easily 50-60 pages past my last reading point. I hadn’t even realized how long I’d been reading until my Kindle died mid-sentence and I looked at the time. True story. That being said, I will say, Null & Void keeps up a very very steady pace that has you just sinking into its world. The last maybe 7%-10% was swifter than the rest, but that could also be you zipping through the pages to find out what happened what happened what just happened. I finished working out and showering this morning and thought involuntarily “I can go back to reading!” before I remembered I’d already finished Null & Void. It was a bitter sweet moment that I wouldn’t have traded for anything else. With wonderful representation, a unique world, heartfelt characters and hard hitting themes, Null & Void just rose to be one of my favourite reads of this year. Five glorious stars. I have never felt more at home reading a book and even though I haven’t experienced anything like Mika has, my heart was full of her the whole time I was in her mind. The book has content that can be extremely triggering for some, please check trigger warnings before reading. The author has them listed on her website. Null & Void released yesterday and I hope you choose to read it and you love it as much as I did. I’m not sure how this could possibly be the author’s debut. The book is available for free for all Kindle Unlimited subscribers! Happy happy reading. Be safe. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 12, 2024
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Aug 15, 2024
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Aug 12, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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B0DVFCWK5C
| unknown
| 3.67
| 1,317
| unknown
| Aug 15, 2024
|
really liked it
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You can find this review of Barbi and The Villain on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to the author for providing me with a comp You can find this review of Barbi and The Villain on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to the author for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review! I would not say this review is spoilery, but it has some mentions of what you can expect; so it may be … preparatory. Do not venture further if you want to go in blind. If someone asked me what my favourite part of reading a book was, I think I would say the experience of it. It’s something that removes you from the moment and throws you into a world of beauty, pain, chaos and magic. It doesn’t matter what genre the book functions in, there is always magic in getting lost in a good book. When I read the blurb for Barbi and The Villain, I had a feeling this book would be very different from anything I’ve read before. I was right. The tone of the narrative, the tenor of the story and the flow of the characters and their interactions were so different from anything I’d expected and/or read before. The basic theme of Barbi and The Villain—a book lover getting drawn into their favourite book and meeting their beloved characters—isn’t new, I’ll admit. Also, let’s be honest, it’s every book-lovers’ dream. But, *holds up a finger* this is the first time I’ve seen this theme actually work well! I began the book late in the evening a few days ago and was 40% into it by midnight of that very day. It’s been awhile since I devoured the first half of a book that way; especially a book that reads as differently as Barbi and The Villain does. I think the reason for this is largely rooted in the writing. The author crafts a character drenched in innocence, humour, strength, naïveté and of course the colour pink and then throws said character into a world of magic, danger and chaos. The book was a constant dance between humour and heartbreak; a knife edge of balance that cuts and amuses. It’s honestly a slippery slope of a theme and character creation, because it could so easily go sideways, but the author really managed to make it work! Additionally, I will say the author does warn you that the Villain is truly a Villain and I don’t know if it’s my intuition or if it’s the authors’ writing nowadays that’s so well done, but I felt that pit in my stomach that comes from when the other shoe is about to drop. But I didn’t see it coming until it happened and unpredictability in books are always the best gift an author can give their reader (as painful as it may be). Please expect heartbreak. The world-building, I feel, happens rather consistently and throughout the book. The author has created an extremely unique world, with information that steadily flows through, filling the reader in about the rules, characteristics and ways of the world. There are many aspects to the world that the author has created: from the portals and the magic system, to the magical beings that inhabit it. There are also many surprises, laughs, characters and pain that come the readers’ way. Honestly, I slipped very comfortably into the world created by Veronica Lancet, extremely enthralled and curious. That characters in Barbi and The Villain have such a big influencer on both, the reading experience and the plot. From the smallest, but fiercest, characters (like the dogs), to the larger more malevolent characters, everyone has a place in the story, on scene and in the overall plot. The narrative is taken forward single-handedly by our FMC, Barbi, in a first person perspective style (my favourite) and as readers we witness the events that take place in Barbi’s serendipitous journey. The primary characters (yes, I’m including the dogs here) occupy a large part of the scene space from early on; and their relationship, how it develops and what it develops into is the primary focus in the book. The secondary and tertiary characters’ presence and appearance are rooted in their unique plot purpose and at the same time they possess their own personalities, even if they only appear for a short scene or two. It was an intriguing balance to strike that often leaves you wondering what more is going to be shared about them in the coming books and what further mystery they are to add to the story as it progresses. Can I just mention how much I loved that Barbi was half-asian and even sings a Korean song in the middle of the book? Loved it. The plot of Barbi and The Villain unravels extremely slowly. Every chapter is one more page turned into revealing the secret of what Lancet has in store for the characters. I do have some theories about what may happen, but I have low conviction in them, because the author has established that she can surprise me at many turns. Despite how much happens—how much is unveiled—in this single book, I do feel we know very very little about what the true theme of the plot is. We get glimpses, perhaps; but we don’t have enough of the puzzle pieces to put the picture together… OR we have the pieces, we just don’t have the picture we need to put the puzzle together. BUT, despite this, you never feel there’s a purposelessness to the scenes. You can tell the author is meticulously laying a foundation that seems extremely important (don’t be fooled by the rambling and funnies) and is going to be very crucial to what comes next. The pace, as mentioned a little earlier, was extremely swift for me until the 60% mark. At the 60% mark is when the tone of the book changes a little, morphing into something more serious than the first half of the book and setting stage for that ending. I didn’t realize why the pace changed for me as my emotions began to roil. Then, of course the ending happened and I was like “Oh, right… that’s why”. Did I mention the ending? Four and a half stars! Happy happy reading! Please check trigger warnings; there’s content in this book that can be triggering for some and should be taken into consideration before reading. Be safe! Barbi and The Villain releases on the 15th of August, this year! ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 09, 2024
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Aug 12, 2024
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Aug 09, 2024
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Unknown Binding
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152991776X
| 9781529917765
| B0CBRLJFTL
| 4.11
| 131,683
| Aug 08, 2024
| Aug 08, 2024
|
it was amazing
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You can find this review of Apprentice to the Villain on my blog, Heart's Content! Received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from the publisher in exchange fo You can find this review of Apprentice to the Villain on my blog, Heart's Content! Received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so very much! If you’ve read my review of Assistant to the Villain, you’d know I thought the book was a lot of fun. With fun, witty dialogue, a quirky world and whimsical characters Hannah Nicole Maehrer had the funny bones of all her readers tickled with the first book in her new romantasy series. The second book in the series—in my opinion—while it certainly retains all the elements of book one (the whimsy, the quirky, the funny), also has some unique elements knitted into it that I found added very well to the tenor of the story. With a lot more solemn elements, Apprentice to the Villain takes its work a lot more seriously than book one. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still extremely fun and funny, but there’s a lot of emotionality, pain, rejection and ‘feeling our feelings’ that happen in this book. A lot of the seeds sowed in book one start to sprout in book two; pouring meaning and emotion into things that were only considered as comic relief in book one. I can safely say, I liked book two way more than I liked book one and that’s not something that happens very often. The pace in Apprentice to the Villain, like in book one, is absolutely steady until the last twenty percent that becomes a race against time. I was very pleased to note how much of the metaphorical foundation laid in book one, with regard to the characters and the story, I had retained—for which I would offer a big kudos to the author’s humorous ways of introduction and establishing characters. That foundation was then built upon very well in this book, with a multiple/switching perspective pattern. I’m big on single POV and usually, I’m not fond of multiple perspectives, but both in Assistant and in Apprentice to the Villain I greatly enjoyed the narration, which brings us to the next element of the book. The writing. I think it’s easily perceivable how important the author’s writing is to this series. With flow-y but firm, humorous but hard hitting moments, Hannah Nicole Maehrer has single handedly wrestled these absolutely unruly characters into something of a perfect read. Her words are gripping, her ideas are unique and her story is unpredictable. The three things any reader would want in a book they’re reading Apprentice to the Villain delivers on. The world building (which will tie in a little with aforementioned aspects) is one of the more harder aspects in any fantasy world. It’s what makes or breaks a book. In Assistant to the Villain, despite there always being something happening—someone cutting off someone’s head or blowing something up or making the reader laugh—there was a certain lightness to the book that made the basic rules of the world easy to grasp. All these characters, events, rules were established really well and stayed with me despite the year that went by so when I picked Apprentice to the Villain, none of it made me think “Wait, what?”, everything was only “Oh, yeah! I remember this!”. Which in my head is a BIG plus. Why? Because this book only further tacks on rules and revelations about the world and for that to not overwhelm a reader it’s important that they’re fairly established in their understanding of the world; which was achieved already. So, woot woot! I had so much fun with all the whimsy and surprises that Maehrer spun mostly because I could never guess when, what or where something was to happen. The characters in Maehrer’s work—both in Assistant and in Apprentice to the Villain—hold a great deal of power. Had the other elements of this book not been equally well written, I’d have tagged this book as character-driven. But yes, to an extent the book is extremely driven by the narrative of the characters; but it’s also plot-driven, pace-driven and very heart-driven. The primary characters, among whom the perspective usually shifts, are very familiar to us and there’s truly not a single perspective I didn’t want to read. (Such a surprise, seriously!). Every single narrative took forward that character’s personal story, the overall plot, added humour and emotion AND tied all this together at the end. Every. Single. Character. Did. This. It’s like a movie; the way the different perspectives—from the smallest ball that’s set rolling to a butterfly’s wing beats—are tied into the story-telling. Am I gushing? I feel like I’m gushing. The secondary and tertiary characters are somehow equally well-fleshed and arrive when they need to, neatly perform their parts, add their magic dust to the story and go on their way. No more, no less. Juuuust right. Of course, you’ll hate them, long for them, worry about them, laugh at them. You do all this the whole time you’re reading. I’m sure of it. If I did, you will. Most likely. The plot in Apprentice to the Villain truly upped the stakes! It also made me take this book a LOT more seriously than I took book one. If book one was a fun-filled jaunt with some surprises and laughs, book two is a serious picnic that turned into an adventure you were not ready for. There were many surprises along the way, some push-again-pull-again romance (that somehow just works and doesn’t make you hurt in all the bad ways), sign holding Prince turned frog that’s ever lovable and of course lots of action and magic! In case it wasn’t evident, I rate the book five stars! Check trigger warnings please, there are many things in this book that can be triggering and should be considered before reading. Red Tower Books has been adding their work to Kindle Unlimited; book one, Assistant to the Villain is already on KU in many countries. So, I guess what’s left to say is: happy reading! ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Aug 06, 2024
not set
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Aug 09, 2024
not set
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Jul 29, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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B0D777WTDP
| unknown
| 4.18
| 628
| unknown
| Aug 15, 2024
|
it was amazing
|
You can find this review of Crowned by the Fae King on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to the author for providing me with a co You can find this review of Crowned by the Fae King on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to the author for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review! I’ve mentioned my feelings about the whole series (it’s hard to speak about the book in isolation this far into the series because of how interconnected they are) in this review and while it’s not spoiler-y, it is informatory, which means you will have a sort of idea of what to expect. Danger ahead for those who wish to enter blind. Mallory Dunlin has meticulously, over the course of the whole series, taken a chisel and hammer to the storyline and cut and cut and cut, building something very very specific that I could track only once I’d read the whole series. As much as every single book can be read as a stand-alone, I would stress the importance of the view of the tapestry that you only begin to see if you read the whole series in order. When I accidentally came across Caught in the Basilisk’s Gaze a few months ago as part of Stuff Your Kindle Day, I started the book on a whim and I was immersed. I didn’t expect the weight of emotion the book would draw out of me and from then on I had to read all the books, curious about all the characters and their stories. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: it’s extremely impressive to see a series, that has a fairly similar plot thread followed by each book, being depicted with so many differences. No two books are similar, each of them written to suit the personalities, struggles and challenges of the characters it focuses on. Dunlin’s writing has truly grown over the course of this series, further immersing us with warm emotional tones, humour and political intrigue. There’s a lot of pain in the plight of the MMC and the FMC; both in interestingly opposing ways that make them perfect matches for one another. The author constantly writes her characters into vulnerable situations and moments with each other, pulling them apart, but knitting them together with communication, love and affection. Dunlin often introduces her characters in interesting ways, showing them under different stage lights before they’re front and centre and you see them with all their past, present and scars. Crowned by the Fae King is no different. Xarcassah is one of the more softer MMC characters, with many emotional layers to him while Quyen is a more brittle character with a strong but gentle heart and a whip sharp tongue. I did think that they were a very interesting match for one another, but I do wish their connection had been explored a bit more, only because I felt that it took a step back to the plot that unravelled. In this whole series—though you may not presume so seeing the covers—the plot holds a great deal of significance and page space. As mentioned earlier, there’s a very visible overall plot thread that connects all the books in the series (that’s yet to be wholly unravelled) and there’s a standalone plot line for each book that often involves the characters working out their feelings, finding their balance and of course the politics of the world and the characters establishing their places in said world. The weight that the plot holds in Crowned by the Fae King far outweighs most other aspects and I was quite surprised about that because usually there’s a more balanced unravelling of events. However, as I read the book I realised how close we likely were to the whole series coming together for a purposeful conclusion, that the plot weight made more sense. We see some surprising cameos too! Some are only mentioned, some we see for the first time, some make a repeat appearance and some we’ve loved since we read their book. I’ve always loved the different character dynamics that Dunlin has weaved into her stories. Some painful, some affectionate, some allies and many enemies, but they all add hues to her stories and emotion to our experience. Crowned by the Fae King is no different. A true Dunlin read, there’s so many connections across the series and within the book that it’s both heart warming and heart breaking. I find it extremely intriguing that Dunlin never shies away from showcasing complex greys in her stories. Yes, there are some black and whites, but there are also some well-respected greys that are explored. While there maybe tropes or situations that I’d typically find myself not feeling interested in or maybe even specifically not liking, I still loved watching Dunlin explore them (for example, the betrayal trope in one of the books in this series that I read—and enjoyed—despite not preferring said trope). Every single book in this series follows a steady pace that usually begins to race during the last 80%-90% before it stabilises once again as the book nears its conclusion. Crowned by the Fae King follows the very same formula with a flare of its own. Honestly, I’ve loved reading every single book in this series and I do hope you check them out. Just like me, I bet they have more to offer you than you may think. Some of the scenes from the books in this series are stamped in my heart with warmth and love and I highly recommend Dunlin’s Monsters of Faery series. They’re absolutely free for KU subscribers! Four stars! Crowned by the Fae King releases today, the 15th August and is absolutely free for all KU subscribers! Run, don’t walk. Happiest of reading and please as always do check trigger warnings; some of the content and themes in this book can be triggering for some. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 05, 2024
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Aug 06, 2024
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Jul 22, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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1962023087
| 9781962023085
| B0D2ZZT6KZ
| 3.96
| 511
| Aug 06, 2024
| Aug 06, 2024
|
really liked it
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You can find this review of Gilded Wicked Mirrors on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to The Nerd Fam and the author Hazel St. L You can find this review of Gilded Wicked Mirrors on my blog, Heart's Content! A big shout out and thank you to The Nerd Fam and the author Hazel St. Lewis for providing me with a gifted copy of Gilded Wicked Mirrors in exchange for an honest review! One thing that immediately captures your attention when you start Gilded Wicked Mirrors is the tone of the story. From page one, you know exactly the kind of read you’re walking into. Gritty, heartfelt, painful and chaotic. Those are the four words I would use to describe my journey reading GWM. I’m going to expand on them through the course of the review. Stay tuned, folks! The author has chosen an extremely interesting way to keep her readers abreast about the world and the way the people of her world work and perceive their realities. With beautiful art paired with newspaper articles, the author reels you into the world of GWM that begins promptly from page one, with not a moment to tarry. I will admit that a world of mirrors, a ballerina FMC, mirror-bargains and mysterious MMCs with shadow-wielding abilities have been seen before; BUT, I don’t think we’ve ever seen them all together in a world like the one created by Hazel St. Lewis. I think the author has done a good job with the world-building in this book; creating the tapestry for her book with rich details that paint the gritty backdrop that GWM is based in. (Special mention to all the art in this book and on the author’s Instagram page; they’re so beautiful. Kudos to the artist!) The writing in GWM is well suited to the voice of the primary narrator in this story (the FMC, Quinn). With a heartbreaking mix of emotional and practical, Hazel St. Lewis’ writing takes you for a ride of mystery, plot twists and romance. A very interesting technique the author uses that I don’t think I’ve seen before is incorporating a rather detailed foreshadowing scene and then tossing it into a box and shaking it up, so you won’t know which one will come out, or if it will at all. The only time I ever struggled with the book was when multiple things were happening with a great deal of characters in the scene, where I’d feel momentary lapses in understanding. I’d have to re-read and reposition people in my mind. With the kind of speed reading I did because of the way the last 20% sprints, it could’ve just been me, so who knows? The plot in this book really takes you on a ride. Scene after scene of intrigue, that just builds and builds until it meets with a dynamite of an end that shatters the threads of everything you know. A small part of this book, especially the murder investigation did remind me little of the first book in the Crescent City series (which I just noticed is mentioned in the blurb as an author’s note), with the way it unravels and spirals out of control. But given how different the directions of the revelations are, you won’t be caught up in said similarity anymore than thinking “Oh!”. I do think the author has incorporated some really interesting ideas and concepts into her world. I will say that the plot twists will both surprise you and at the same time you’ll expect some of them. It’s a good enough balance that you’re anticipating what’s next the whole time. There are many aspects of this book when it started, that I loved, and I think the author wants you to. Because be prepared to see everything crash and burn in a tornado of chaos and pain. Every page is an escalation and every character is the lever used to toss you onto the next page. (Did I already mention the amazing art? Because it is. Amazing, I mean.) The characters in this book are truly aplenty and I’m not going to lie, for a minute there I doubted everyone before settling on my primary suspect. (I was right and wrong, fyi.) I expected to be right and I was but I hadn’t expected to be wrong and I was that too! Anyway, while the book doesn’t have an ensemble cast trope, it tiptoes the line very much. I will admit that sometimes all the characters—perhaps because they’re introduced altogether—can crossover in your mind for a bit but by the end you’ve got them all sorted. There will be more characters introduced over the course of the story though, so be prepared for that! There are lot of complex elements, including representation, that make up this book. As mentioned earlier, the pace in the last twenty odd percent of the book is definitely much faster. BUT, the whole book in general has a rather swift pace and you won’t feel the weight of the length. Additionally, I wouldn’t personally classify this book as a romantasy. I would say this book is a high fantasy read with romance in it, but the plot has a greater emphasis and space in this book than the romance in my opinion. However, I do feel there’s an interesting foundation that’s been established to build a romance on; but based on the author’s note, perhaps the rest of the series will feature more romance in it? I’m rounding up to four stars! Happy reading! Gilded Wicked Mirrors releases on the 6th of August and will be absolutely free for all KU subscribers. Check trigger warnings as always! There are many dark and graphic elements in this book that should be considered before beginning. ...more |
Notes are private!
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Jul 19, 2024
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Jul 24, 2024
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Jul 19, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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Ahana M Rao
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4.18
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it was amazing
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Mar 28, 2025
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3.82
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it was amazing
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3.79
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it was amazing
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4.29
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really liked it
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Jan 21, 2025
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4.06
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really liked it
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Jan 15, 2025
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3.94
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liked it
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Nov 30, 2024
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3.68
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it was amazing
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Nov 14, 2024
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Nov 07, 2024
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4.27
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it was amazing
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Oct 26, 2024
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3.61
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it was amazing
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Oct 20, 2024
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4.29
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it was amazing
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Oct 29, 2024
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4.57
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it was amazing
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Jan 21, 2025
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4.35
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it was amazing
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Sep 20, 2024
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4.19
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really liked it
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Sep 07, 2024
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Aug 30, 2024
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4.14
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it was amazing
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Aug 25, 2024
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Aug 22, 2024
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3.78
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really liked it
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Aug 17, 2024
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4.20
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it was amazing
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Aug 15, 2024
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3.67
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really liked it
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Aug 12, 2024
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Aug 09, 2024
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4.11
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it was amazing
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Aug 09, 2024
not set
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Jul 29, 2024
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4.18
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it was amazing
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Aug 06, 2024
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Jul 22, 2024
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3.96
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really liked it
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Jul 24, 2024
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Jul 19, 2024
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