authentic reviews and insightful interviews for inquisitive readers
Title: Beguiled Author: Darynda Jones Series: Betwixt and Between #3 This trilogy wasn’t her best Thank you to Darynda Jones for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review, and big thanks to the friendly Dana Crawford, who provided me with the ARC. Apologies for not reviewing before the release as I’d promised; delaying the release a week at the last minute threw off my own schedule, but I got to it as quick as …
Title: A Court of Silver Flames Author: Sarah J. Maas Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #4 Very satisfied with this long-awaited sequel This is more fangirl speculation than a review, but I do mention my few criticisms of the book in the first couple paragraphs. I could have done without the very explicit sex (a lot of it was unnecessary, too; for example, Amren and Varian did not have to be going at it when Nesta went to …
Title: The Black Swan of Paris Author: Karen Robards Series: n/a Rife with tension, heartache, and hope I would like to thank Karen Robards, Harlequin MIRA, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also thanks to Justine Sha for inviting me to participate in the blog tour. Don’t take my 4-star rating to heart; I wasn’t the ideal audience for this type of book. I wanted to read this because it …
Title: House of Earth and Blood Author: Sarah J. Maas Series: Crescent City #1 Initial review: Based on first 60 pages: epic worldbuilding, inferior lead I would like to thank Sarah J. Maas, Bloomsbury USA, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free excerpt of the first 60 pages (70 including front matter) in exchange for an honest review. I’m so fucking pissed right now. First reason I’m pissed—I should have known better than to read an excerpt. Especially …
Title: Mariana Author: Susanna Kearsley Series: n/a The end ruined the whole thing So I finished the audiobook last night, and I was left feeling so unbalanced and unsatisfied that I was quite worked up. And got more worked up the longer I thought about it. I free-wrote a rant that didn’t make much sense, and, recognizing that, I didn’t post it anywhere and let it rest. I did not rest, however. I got the ebook from the library and …
Update 3/2/22: I finally got the audiobook from the library last week and had an opportunity to give it a listen. Alas, the book didn’t get better with age. It’s not a bad book by any means, it’s certainly ambitious, but I 100% stand by my criticisms in my original review below. I’m a little curious about the sequels, and I might check them out sometime when I need something to listen to, but they’re definitely not a priority. Ironically, …
Title: Wicked Saints Author: Emily A. Duncan Series: Something Dark and Holy #1 Wow this is a lot better than I—never mind I would like to thank Emily A. Duncan and Meghan Harrington at St. Martin’s Press for inviting me to participate in the blog tour. I received a free ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Seriously, if you don’t want major twists spoiled for you, do not read on. *sigh* I avoided reading this book because …
Title: The Reluctant Courtship of Jack Allan Author: Dayle King Searle Series: N/A A slow burn but still a solid novel My thanks to Dayle King Searle, who asked me to read a free copy of her novel in exchange for an honest review. First and foremost, I want to say this was not a romance. Oddly enough, it’s women’s fiction with a male protagonist. I found the weird clash of tone, perspective, and genre fascinating, and I have to …
I don’t review every book I read. Not nearly. As much as I wish otherwise, I simply don’t have time—or sometimes the brain energy—to write dozens upon dozens of reviews. Plus, sometimes it’s nice to just enjoy a book without having to analyze as I read. But I wanted to talk about some of the books I read recently, so I thought perhaps I could compile a series of brief overall opinions for them. A review roundup, if you will. …
Title: The Earl and the Enchantress Author: Paullett Golden Series: The Enchantresses #1 A solid, well-written debut with relatable characters Thank you to the author, who asked if I would like to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I liked this book quite a bit! I wouldn’t say I was utterly riveted, but I didn’t like having to stop reading, either. I had no major problems with it, but a few small things bothered me. Not enough …