This book is the linchpin of my entire studies on English literature. It led me to the Zora Neale Hurston festival and to making a pilgrimage to her gThis book is the linchpin of my entire studies on English literature. It led me to the Zora Neale Hurston festival and to making a pilgrimage to her grave where I left a copy of my thesis. Beautiful, beautiful storyteller. This work is an essential. ...more
My first foray into Steinbeck and it did not disappoint. I can easily see why his writing is considered classic American literature and now I will be My first foray into Steinbeck and it did not disappoint. I can easily see why his writing is considered classic American literature and now I will be making my way through the rest of his bibliography. ...more
Ok…is this really a 5 star book? No. But I’m rating it as such because Mattie is a 5’10” lefty! FINALLY a book with a female lead who isn’t a dwarf! GOk…is this really a 5 star book? No. But I’m rating it as such because Mattie is a 5’10” lefty! FINALLY a book with a female lead who isn’t a dwarf! Good lord! The whole time I was reading, I had to remind my brain to picture someone my height! How goddam refreshing.
Now, with that being said, I struggled to really root for Mattie at first. Her growth throughout is really rewarding, but at first, it was rough. I actually thought “is this from the antagonist’s pov?” And Jake was suuuuuuuuuuuper sketchy too. I eventually came around and I think what helped me were the bonus chapter’s from Jake’s perspective. That really helped me understand where he was coming from and the reasons behind his behavior. The romance factor amped up as soon as you learn he’d been in love with her since they were in kindergarten.
I was so glad to learn the sequel was Mattie centric too because I wanted more of Mattie/Jake at the end. Especially after reading Jake’s chapters.
So, yeah, it started out kind of rough/disorganized/frenetic but then kinda smoothed out and found a nice rhythm.
It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but Mattie’s character growth is the brightest highlight. It makes it ok to root for her. ...more
Sticking with my 5 star rating system here because Mattie is 5’10”! I don’t agree with her stalking Jake, so I’m glad that didn’t last very long and ISticking with my 5 star rating system here because Mattie is 5’10”! I don’t agree with her stalking Jake, so I’m glad that didn’t last very long and I was puzzled by Ella/Trent breaking up so suddenly. As well as the dissolution of Mattie’s friendship with him. But I did thoroughly enjoy the Mattie/Ella sisterhood, the romance with Jake and the continuation of Mattie’s maturity/growth.
I read something from the author about a third book in this series and that was 4 years ago…I am super anxious for that installment…I need more Mattie/Jake romance! I hope those two kids make it and we get some fun college content. I would love to see them both off in Japan or something....more
**spoiler alert** EMOTIONAL DAMAGE!!!! As soon as I read the author’s dedication, I knew I was in for it. For context, I’ve struggled with weight my e**spoiler alert** EMOTIONAL DAMAGE!!!! As soon as I read the author’s dedication, I knew I was in for it. For context, I’ve struggled with weight my entire life. Even when I was a toddler, I puked everything I ate so I was underweight! My heaviest (recorded) weight was 360 lbs but I suspect it was higher. I’ve since worked off 140 lbs (and kept it off). What that taught me is there are many reasons why people are “heavy.” For me, it was aaaallll psychological and I suspect for April it was as well. Ok…let me try to organize my thoughts a bit more.
1. I LOVE the ages of the characters 2. April’s confidence is inspiring 3. Drawing boundaries with toxic parents ftw! ...more
Wow, just wow I am shocked just as shocked as you are to see a five star rating. At first tried reading this book right around Thanksgiving and for whWow, just wow I am shocked just as shocked as you are to see a five star rating. At first tried reading this book right around Thanksgiving and for whatever reason I just couldn’t get into it after the first couple of pages, but whatever I came back to it and I was immediately pulled in. I absolutely loved everything about this book, I didn’t think that there was anything stupid. There were no gross grammatical errors. The writing style was great. The world building was great. The romance felt natural, and it was funny. The characters were funny. The ones who were supposed to be funny were funny like Elm, I mean, I could just totally picture him and it felt so natural the way he was kind of being the protective cousin and was sarcastic, and his sarcastic comments just were always on point and never felt Stupid or cheesy or cheap. It just was also great and you know at first I was like OK all these cards and I was wondering if if the fantasy part of it was gonna be too complicated unnecessarily so but it wasn’t the pacing of it was good and I was really on the edge of my seat with what was going to happen I did think it was kind of interesting at one point when there was an event happening at the castle and so much happened in one day But honestly, I feel like that’s a lot more realistic than other fantasy books where the events are spread out over further amount of time I mean there’s not gonna be some huge war being fought between armies or anything like that in this case so the timeline is going to be a bit more condensed, but I do remember thinking that at one point because I think the day of some event there’s like I wish I could remember the details, but there were multiple things happening like she was outside and then she had to go in and get ready for this event before she did that she went to this other thing like all of these things kind of happened in one day And again that’s not a bad thing. It’s just something that kind of stuck out to me because again the majority of the fantasy books I’ve read they spread things out over a longer timeline and normally I am a fan of a longer timeline cause I don’t like things to seem rushed or anything like that but it worked here it worked in this case the chemistry between Raven and Elspeth felt very natural and the way that they grew closer together gradually and yeah, he definitely has fallen harder and fallen first and it’s very sweet between them and you know it’s romance yes but it’s not overkill and there’s not like all this smart or anything like that. It’s just so well balanced. It’s so well balanced and it’s so refreshing and the story is good and captivating and my brain is trying to work out what’s going to happen and I’m so tempted to read spoilers, but I’m trying to prevent myself and I was on the edge of my seat and I’m still on the edge of my seat. I enjoy this first book so much and I’m immediately starting the second book and I’m worried that the second book is gonna be a disappointment because how is the author gonna work things out? Is there gonna be a happily ever after or not? Maybe there won’t be a happily ever after even though I really want there to be one for Raven and Elspeth, I mean these two have been through so much they deserve that but I don’t know how and you know that’s why I’m not the writer here so regardless of what happens in the second book the first book was just absolutely phenomenal. Definitely worth the five stars. You’re the first couple of pages. I thought Elspeth was some crazy person, but whatever it was that day when I first tried to read it I was not in the right place, I guess because when I came back to the book, it was seriously no problem at all and she’s not crazy at all. She is this young woman who is fighting for her life and she is so strong having hit this from everyone around her and just these moments she has with Raven, especially at the end when she finally tells him that she’s degenerating and you know her hard exterior is cracking and she’s being vulnerable to him. It’s just such a beautiful thing to witness as the reader I just can’t say enough good things about this. Just such a wonderful book. I really have high hopes for book number two no pressure let’s see how it goes but book one absolutely recommend oh and I guess I should talk about the nightmare too and really like all the characters are so fascinating and there are a good number of characters, but it never seems like overkill like her cousin I mean, what is gonna happen there is she gonna become a cold hearted queen and there’s illusion to that but then there are these moments too that shows that she still herself and she has some other kind of side quest going on, so that’s a mildly intriguing even though I immediately wanted to think of her cousin as an enemy because of her actions so I’m trying to reserve judgment I think it’s kind of obvious that she is going to hook up with Elm, but you know whatever and then Emery, he’s a very interesting character very tragic very sad and who else nightmare the Shepherd King we cannot forget about him. Is he a monster? Is he a villain not so much monster is he a villain we don’t know initially we probably wanna say yes he is a villain, but then does he not come to her defense and yeah, she does ask him but then when Raven is in her mind and he in the nightmare are going at it. It’s like the nightmare is saying that he protected her even when she was a kid. He’s always been there to protect her and then when it’s really towards the end and the nightmare is like it’s OK I’ve got this. It’s time for you to rest. You know he just comes across not as a parental figure but as a very caring figure like in those moments, he’s not coming across as self-serving or anything like that he wants to take over for her and let her rest because she’s been fighting so hard so I don’t know I feel like I am not entirely convinced that the nightmare himself as a villain and it’s all of these things that make the story so complex and multifaceted and layered and intriguing and keeps me engaged...more
**spoiler alert** I can’t remember if I’ve EVER counted down the days to a BOOK release. But I did for this one and I was not disappointed.
Look at my **spoiler alert** I can’t remember if I’ve EVER counted down the days to a BOOK release. But I did for this one and I was not disappointed.
Look at my ratings. I am VERY stingy with 5s. If I give a 5 it’s either because of a very specific reason or it’s classic literature.
But let me be honest here, I’ve read 7 of Stacia’s works and she has RUINED me. The way she builds worlds and doesn’t mention a million times about height differences and how she introduces characters…it’s all so fucking organic.
Ok…this book specifically. Stay on task. lol
Look, we all know Lorian and Prisca are endgame. After the end of book 1 we all expected major angst and anticipated book 2 to start out kinda rough for this pair. I was surprised at how quickly they got back together but I think what made it work was how much more Lorian POV we got and freaking thank you for that! Prisca is our girl, but Lorian’s POV is essential at this point to help further the plot. He already knew things about their dynamic (or suspected them) in book 1 and so getting his POV in book 2 develops his character and let’s us see Prisca in a different way.
Both of them acknowledge this “link” or “connection” and while Prisca tries to deny it, Lorian embraces it and really turns up the romance factor by like, 5,000°. He wants to know everything about her and support her and give her choices when she’s never really had that. It’s pretty fucking spectacular.
Lorian isn’t really shy about how he feels but Prisca still struggles with her fear and tries to erect wall after wall. The push and pull between them never feels tired or annoying and things do progress. Like when he tells her to stop protecting him and she yells that she can’t stop. Or when he’s finally like “why don’t you guys tell me your secret project” and she so obviously trusts him implicitly. The way she makes Thol take a blood vow like Lorian had to.
And let’s talk about character growth here for our two MCs here. I was a little disappointed at Prisca’s underuse of her power. I know it will play a big part in books 3 and/or 4 and there was little need of it in book 2. But she’s still not an expert at wielding it so I’m hoping there’s more development of that so that it’s not like she instantly becomes an expert. I trust the author to make that progress feel authentic. Aside from that, Prisca is really coming into her own. At her core, she is loyal and while she may have started out as shy/timid/meek it was because she was really programmed to hide. All the backstory we get in book 2 rounds her out and being so loyal is an excellent foundation for her to fight for what’s right in bigger and bolder ways. She eventually accepts and wants to lead her people. It’s beautiful! And who else thinks those rebels will play a bigger role in what lies ahead? Prisca won’t just stop at fighting for her people but all those who want for a better life.
Then, Lorian…he’s almost a little one dimensional in book 1 but we see such a softer side to him in book 2 and while he’s still a ruthless warrior, his backstory adds layers and complexity to him too. All that shit about him as a little boy and being used as a tool by his brother. Being controlled by him. But he’s stronger and I just have this glorious vision of him and Prisca ruling side by side. It better fucking happen. We get more emotional depth here for Lorian and we know he’s an onion. There’s still more to his story we don’t know, like who he lost before…a woman only vaguely referenced in books 1 and 2. And THE FAE FIRE!!!! WHAT IS WITH THE FAE FIRE??? As he accepts his feelings for Prisca he lets it change him and he’s really very selfless when it comes to her!
The romance was next level in book 2…my woman…my possessive fae prince. Him telling her he’ll knock down each wall and her not letting people call him the bloodthirsty prince. They both have lost so much and found it all again in one another. ❤️...more
**spoiler alert** This book took me a little bit longer to read not because it wasn’t a good story, but because the more contemporary romances, I read**spoiler alert** This book took me a little bit longer to read not because it wasn’t a good story, but because the more contemporary romances, I read the dumber I’d become it seems so a book written in the style of requires a bit more attention a bit more focus and if I’m too tired when I’m reading it, I don’t really understand what’s going on because it is a Regency error story so the expressions in the terms used, etc. Require a bit of mental translation. Something we’ve grown accustomed to today is reading a book with multiple POV‘s at least when it comes to fantasy romance, contemporary romance, and there were multiple POV in the story. It wasn’t like what we used to today where one chapter is from this POV in the next chapters from this POV no, you could be reading one chapter and it’s witches from POV to POV throughout and it works because it’s not ever from first person POV it’s an omniscient POV and it seems to work. There were a couple times where I had to maybe reread just a little bit to see OK who was at that speaking but that really is nothing that reflects the writer or the story but more my own mental capacity was interesting in the beginning chapter because it starts out with this one guy some Earl or some thing and I remember thinking to myself is this guy the main male character and I had to double check the description to confirm that That worked now I’m curious to know if this is Georgette Ayers style overall or if this is unique to this particular book this book was on my TBR because it was flagged as being a romance featuring a tall female, but I would not classify this myself as a romance Only because the romance was not the main plot, it was certainly a motivating factor behind the actions of the main character, but the story itself was all around the mystery and how John was going to get out of us situation and protect and her grandfather, as well as helping his new friends There were a couple times where I thought maybe this isn’t gonna have a happy ending and John is gonna get off jail or something but no, there was a happy ending. I think this was a through and through romance we may have gotten a little bit more of Nell and John it’s been a while since I’ve read Jane Austen so maybe this is more in line with that again. We’re so spoiled now by these contemporary romances that provide an epilogue five years later or what not and we don’t get that here and I’m pretty sure Jane Austen‘s books don’t have those apple logs either so it does leave you wanting, because John and Nell really are such a sweet couple and because this is a story the love at first sight aspect is that much more believable because yes, they fall in love instantly, but they weren’t also then having sex that same day which is what we see so often with these contemporary romances and one of the main reasons why I hate and still love but here it works and I think that’s just also some thing that was more common place back then People were in relationships for years and years and years before getting engaged and getting married things quickly even instances where people have known each other for a long time, but didn’t have any kind of romantic and clinicians, and then once that changes things clipped along nicely at any rate, I really enjoyed the story. It was a nice nice nice change of pace. Honestly when I started reading this book or decided to read this one next I did not fully realize that this was a book written in 1954 and that it was also a regency story I had no idea, so it was very much a change of pace because I had just been really really long and tedious string of bad books that I’ve been reading. This is one where I am definitely trying to hunt down a first edition so I can add it to my permanent library. Even without an epilogue at the end, I have to admit that I’m a little unsure of how well now and John are going to do considering his love for adventure so what is their future really going to look like once they settle down? I certainly don’t doubt that they love each other but really what is their home life going to look like I have John to take Ben as their surrogate child, but was kind of pleasantly surprised that Jerry and Rose decided to do that themselves. I think the relationship between John and Ben was kind of touching even though they don’t wind up as family in the end, but it was good for Ben and it just provided insight into John’s character, I am a little unsure too about John being the one who killed coats and he’s a captain in the army or whatever so I’m sure he’s no stranger to death and all of that but you know he did kill this guy now granite it wasn’t premeditated it wasn’t cold blood it was totally in self-defense, but you know I don’t know. Is it gonna bother him at all, it didn’t seem to bother either the prospect possibly killing her cousin too so I mean I guess they’ll be OK but I just would’ve liked a little bit less blood on his hands as he’s starting this new life with her And it seems like he’s gonna get out of this whole situation with the found money and everything without any issue. It’s also just such a very different time because I couldn’t help but think like if something like this happened today no way they’d be screwed you couldn’t move the body or anything like that I think about it ballistic and all of that stuff didn’t exist back so they had a lot more flexibility when it came to fabricating the story that coats fell down the stairs and that’s how he broke his neck....more
Man, I really wish I’d written my review right after I read this book because obviously four star reading that is unheard of for me lately because eveMan, I really wish I’d written my review right after I read this book because obviously four star reading that is unheard of for me lately because everything I’ve been reading has been utter crap but this book was refreshing. I really like the character of men she was just real and flawed and relatable and enjoyable. She wasn’t flighty. She wasn’t stupid. She wasn’t boy crazy or man crazy she was just who she was And the relationship she had with cow was just so fun to read and their banter was highly enjoyable. I’m really really trying to remember more details about the story and specifics that I liked, but I do remember liking it very much obviously four star rating I stand behind that, even the characters were enjoyable they supported each other. They were there for each other and they weren’t overly obnoxious or annoying. They kind of added to the care to the story now her one best friend the one not the one who is like the snow White Cinderella type girl the other one you know it was, bordering on annoying the way that she kept injecting herself into the relationship between men and cow. I think it had gone any further than it would’ve probably ruined the story some and the details are coming back now so of course them interacting with one another family that’s always like a huge huge thing I mean they’re obviously getting to know each other she’s bonding with his nephew And then there mutual diners with other families were so fun. I love those kind of dynamics because they have this opportunity to have each other back and it’s just very romantic and especially the way men was at dinner with his family like she was just going for it and it was just super, enjoyable to read if I recall there was eventually some conflict at the end oh yeah like she told him she knew about the bet but then he got pissed because she knew about it or some thing was something like that I mean, that was a bit of a stretch. I know I’m not a fan of third act breakups but You know I guess it’s inevitable and the majority of these romance books but fortunately it didn’t totally ruin it and I kept expecting it because she kept acknowledging like oh I need to tell him I need to tell him so we knew it was coming, but then him getting mad at her was kind of likeyou know come on people just communicate with one another don’t fly off the handle...more