3.5 stars The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish follows an eccentric young woman who gets her dream job, only to find out that she can see ghosts and some m3.5 stars The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish follows an eccentric young woman who gets her dream job, only to find out that she can see ghosts and some malicious spirits are following her. I had some issues with this book. For example, I found that neither Hecate as a character nor the romance really developed until the final third of the book, and the pacing felt incredibly slow at times, but there were also aspects that I loved. I really enjoyed the premise of the books and some of the darker elements it introduced (both in terms of horror and tone). Although the beginning felt slow, the end really hooked me. Overall, my main issue with this book is that I just couldn't get my brain to latch onto it and care about it. While this would normally be a red flag for me, I believe that in this case I was just in a bit of a reading slump. Additionally, this book feels like it's meant for a slightly older demographic (older women who like cozy mysteries, not young adults who want fast paced romantic fantasies). So while I did find this story slow at times and didn't form a strong connection to it, I think that is all subjective, and overall, this is a pretty solid mystery with fantasy elements. Thank you to the publisher and Macmillan Audio for the eARCs in exchange for an honest review!...more
I wanted to like The Brood, but aside from the last 15%, it just didn't have that Devney Perry charm. Although I don't generally like reading books abI wanted to like The Brood, but aside from the last 15%, it just didn't have that Devney Perry charm. Although I don't generally like reading books about influencers, I really liked our protagonist, Iris. Unfortunately, Wilder didn't really do it for me. My main issue with this story though is that for the majority of the book Iris and Wilder are just having sex, not getting to know each other as people or falling in love. Additionally, I didn't like the way the dead-wife plot was written. Wilder is constantly comparing Iris and his past wife, Amie, and it was very off-putting. Particularly, the way that the dead-wife plot coincided with all the sex scenes was especially uncomfortable. At one point, Wilder complains that Amie always wanted to make love and go slow, and then a couple pages later tells Iris that the reason he likes her is because she lets him do anything he wants to her (sexually). I really hated the way that these women were pitted up against each other, and it always took me out of any romantic mood I was in. (view spoiler)[ Additionally, I think the reveal that Wilder didn't love Amie was lazy writing. I'd much rather read a book about how you can find love more than once in your lifetime. But no, instead Wilder reveals he never even really liked Amie, and that Iris is the perfect women for him. I feel like this reveal just further encouraged readers to compare the two women, which as I've stated, I don't like. (hide spoiler)] So overall, The Brood wrapped up well, and I had fun with this series, but this book just didn't meet the standards I have for this author's writing. ...more
Between the characters and world-building, this series has a ton of potential. The problem is that rather than explore the fantasy aspects of the worlBetween the characters and world-building, this series has a ton of potential. The problem is that rather than explore the fantasy aspects of the world, the teen drama aspects get explored instead. Like Vampire Academy, Frostbite has a lot of problematic elements (age gap relationships, slut shaming, early 2000's sexism...) and a lot of boring teen drama filler. That being said, the last 30% was quite strong. The characters all acted much more mature and produced much more compelling storylines, and the fantasy elements picked up. The end conflict was good and renewed my interest in this series. I'm sure the series will continue with the problematic stuff and boring drama, but if this darker tone, new side of Rose, and these fantasy elements persist, I'm interested....more
I hadn't looked into this author's controversies or reviews of her other books before picking up The Deer and the Dragon, and I wish I had, because ifI hadn't looked into this author's controversies or reviews of her other books before picking up The Deer and the Dragon, and I wish I had, because if I did, I never would have given this book a chance. I really wanted to like this book, but I knew almost immediately that the writing style was not going to work for me. I had hoped that the plot could redeem the book, but it just didn't.
The premise of this book is alright. Marlow has been friends/lovers with the prince of hell for years, but thought he was a figment of her imagination. Now, she knows the truth and is drawn into a celestial war. Unfortunately, not much of this book explores any of that lore or the war between different classes of gods and religions. Instead, we follow Marlow, one of the most insufferable protagonists I have ever met, in her day-to-day routine.
Let me introduce you to Marlow. She's incredibly hot, like physically perfect. She's rich, but still unfilled. She's a quippy feminist (but in a Buzzfeed "we paint with our period blood" type of woke millennial way). She's a sex worker, and the process of her becoming a sex worker is incredibly easy. Hey, did you guys know that sex work is really fun, well-paying, easy to get into, and safe? (please sense my sarcasm). The way this book depicts sex work is incredibly harmful, as it practically encourages girls to jump blindly into an incredibly dangerous industry. And most of all, Marlow is dumb as a rock. She gives gods who can bind her to do anything her full name, she breaks into a supposed serial killers house for fun, and oh yah, she is physically touching and having sex with a demon every night for YEARS, but doesn't believe he's real until like the 40% mark of the book. But don't worry. Despite all the faults, multiple men are in love with her. Her demon beau even calls her incredibly gifted and refers to her as smarter than him. You know what she did to wow him? She acted like a snotty rich person all day. The explanation we're given is that you have to be really good at reading people to pretend to be rich, therefore, Marlow is a genius.
So back to the plot. Marlow finds out her Prince of Hell is real (a lot of "w-w-w-what?" moments follow) and decides to save him because she loves him. Here's the thing: we never get to see this couple fall in love. They are declaring their love and having sex on page one. The excuse for this is that Marlow has been reincarnated many times and he has fallen in love with her in other lives. But like, could we not even see them fall in love in one of those lives? Or see some scenes of them doing anything other than having sex in this life? No? Alright, whatever. We just jump straight to the marketable declarations of love and smut, bypassing any romantic or emotional growth.
And as I mentioned early, aside from issues with the plot or characters, I really hated this writing style. It was so shallow, and at times felt very dumb. It felt like the author was trying to be edgy and sexy, but nothing about this book was clever. Every joke annoyed me, and every attempt at depth had me rolling my eyes. And my last point - I just finished this book and yet I have no idea why it's titled The Deer and the Dragon. I hate to be so negative with ARC reviews, but this book truly didn't have any solid features I could latch onto for some positivity.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!...more
Comically bad. The least sexy vampire in history and an idiot, mooch of a failed artist galavant around a caricature of 21st century America. Vampire Comically bad. The least sexy vampire in history and an idiot, mooch of a failed artist galavant around a caricature of 21st century America. Vampire boy then says that artist girl's experimental art pieces made of trash are actually really good and she falls in love with him. But oh no, vampire man gets kidnapped! Luckily, quirky artist girl saves the day through the power of TikTok. This book was funny for about 40 pages, then I got annoyed.
(that being said, the author seems like a nice person. i hated this, but i bear her no ill will)...more
While I loved Serena Kaylor's debut novel, Long Story Short, sadly, I just didn't connect with this one. I thought there were some very cute romantic While I loved Serena Kaylor's debut novel, Long Story Short, sadly, I just didn't connect with this one. I thought there were some very cute romantic moments, and I loved all the representation presented in this story, but several others areas fell short for me. The pacing felt very stilted. The start of the book was quite slow, and I wish there were more moments between the main characters falling in love instead of time spent with all the side characters. There was also some dialogue that felt quite juvenile, even for a young adult novel. Overall, I liked many elements of this story, but I had issues with the writing style. I'd still recommend it to other Young Adult readers though, as the style may work for them. Thank you to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!...more
Literally never have I read something so unrealistic or cliche. I still had fun at a couple points though. I wanted a quick and easy read, and that's Literally never have I read something so unrealistic or cliche. I still had fun at a couple points though. I wanted a quick and easy read, and that's what I got. Although why did Roxy have to save Louis in the end....more
Update: Yes, after all that, I finished it. I'm no quitter. But yah, it didn't get better. In fact it got worse. I'm not going to explain all the issueUpdate: Yes, after all that, I finished it. I'm no quitter. But yah, it didn't get better. In fact it got worse. I'm not going to explain all the issues with this book. There's simply too many. To put it simply, this was a fucking mess.
I literally NEVER dnf books, and when I do, I don't review them because it doesn't seem fair, but by god, this book is so atrocious I cannot stop thinking about the mere 4 chapters I read. The writing is cringey and immature. I cannot believe this was written by an adult, let alone a beloved author.
This book heavily relies on tropes, as there is nothing original or interesting to it. Every couple of pages the main characters does something incredibly selfish and/or stupid, and then follows it up by doing something clumsy. As it goes, every single time, her best friend's brother then walks in on her in some ridiculous act, covered in flour she dropped, dancing around naked, or something equally cliche. And while I hated the FMC, even that didn't justify how rude the MMC was to her. He was bland and unappealing as is, and then to add insult to injury, he'd go on a little rant about how dumb she was every chapter or so. Are you kidding me!? This is the romance I am supposed to root for?
I have only ever heard praise for Lynn Painter's books, and there were quite a few on my TBR i was excited to get to, but after reading a literal fraction of this, I'm removing them all from my TBR. Again, I neverrrrr DNF books, and I always give authors a second chance. I believe people can grow and change, and I like to see their writing improve. But if I could live forever, I would, and I would read every book in the world. Except Lynn Painter's....more
Update 06/08/24 The more i think about this book, the more I understand the crucial mistake Christine Riccio makes in her writing. I will admit, I am nUpdate 06/08/24 The more i think about this book, the more I understand the crucial mistake Christine Riccio makes in her writing. I will admit, I am no author. I study literature, but I do the analysis, not the creative writing itself. I don’t know how hard it is to write a book. So while I can critique this book, I am simply a reviewer. Then again, that is where Christine herself started as well, a popular book reviewer who got a publishing deal handed to her, so maybe I am qualified to speak on this writing as I wish. Anyways, it is clear that Christine Riccio was raised on 2010’s young adult books. From all her pop-culture references, to her character models, she is clearly trying to emulate what she loves. However, if she wants to improve her writing, she needs to separate the books she used to love from the books she’s writing. Not only does copying 2010’s YA protagonists’ personalities lend an aspect of unoriginality to Christine’s writing, but it is also just a very outdated model to style your characters after. Many of the characters she’s trying to mimic are ones that are looked back on as cringey and poorly-aged. If you are going to use character archetypes, at least try to use timeless ones.
06/07/24 2.5 stars Although I had many issues with Christine Riccio's debut novel, Again but Better, I fell in love with the premise of Attached at the Hip and decided to give it a chance. Unfortunately, Christine Riccio's writing hasn't seemed to develop at all. While yes, the premise of this book is super fun, I had issues with just about everything else. To start, I found that the author kept over-explaining how Survivor and games shows as a whole work. Honestly, all of the pop-culture references were over-explained. I also found the ending of the book to be way to drawn out. But really, my biggest issue with this book is the main character. She is incredibly naive, both on the reality show and just in life and love in general. She's also way to quirky and childish. I know her messiness is supposed to be loveable, but more often than not I wanted to shake her and tell her to grow up. And of course, even though she's a mess, everyone is in love with her. She also is a reader, writer, and influencer, making her feel like a self-insert character for the author. So even though there were things about this book that I liked, like (view spoiler)[ the use of the red herring love interest, I couldn't enjoy the book because I was stuck inside the main character's head. And now that I think about it, even though I liked the reveal that Remy was not the real love interest, the fact that Orie fell for his lies makes her look even more naive. (hide spoiler)]. Overall, I liked this book marginally more than the author's others, but I still found myself disappointed. Thank you to the publisher and Macmillan Audio for the ARCs in exchange for an honest review!...more
These books are so bad. I need to give up on this series, but every time I see someone rave about it I get compelled to give it one more chance. But rThese books are so bad. I need to give up on this series, but every time I see someone rave about it I get compelled to give it one more chance. But really, I need to give up. This series, unfortunately like many others, makes me pessimistic about the future of publishing and writing. Is this what kids like nowadays? Is this modern? Yes, these characters were juvenile, they didn't act like real people, and the plot was rushed, but that's not what makes me such a cynic. What makes me hate this book is the way that the author spells out every joke and emotion any character feels. Does she not trust us to understand it otherwise? The attempts at "modern references" were cringey and embarrassing, but what made it worse is that the author would call back to them multiple times in a super unnatural way, just to make it stand out. For example, the main character says "save a horse ride a cowboy." Then, when her friend asks what she's been getting up to she says "saving horses. I've saved so many I could be an ecologist" (paraphrased). No one would ever say that, but fine, I'll give it a pass. BUT THEN, like 5 chapters later, she ONCE AGAIN says "I've been saving horses all summer long. They should give me a noble peace prize for all the horses I've been saving." This was my breaking point. Awkwardly forcing in words or phrases popular on TikTok just to be topical is one thing. It's a cop out in my eyes, but I can forgive it. But then repeating the same joke 4 times because you either A. didn't trust reader's to get your meaning the first time, or B. just think it's that funny, is something else entirely. Anyways, my point is that I hate almost everything about this series, but could understand how it was somebody else's cup of tea, if it weren't for the god awful writing style. Somebody get this woman an editor....more
This series is so painfully underwhelming. While I don't love any of it, the mystery aspect of it strikes me as particularly overhyped. The mystery haThis series is so painfully underwhelming. While I don't love any of it, the mystery aspect of it strikes me as particularly overhyped. The mystery has so much less suspense than any other I've read. The plot twists never surprise or engage me. There was literally a point near the start of this book where the mystery unraveled and I thought to myself "This book should end here. This is a decent twist. but if we keep going it will get convoluted." To my utter disappointment, the book kept going. Every possible twist in this series feels tired, and I don't know how the author is still writing books in this universe. Additionally, there are many parts of this book you can tell are supposed to be quirky, endearing, and unique to this book, but none of them have enough charm for me to care. From the Hawthorne's weird traditions and riddles, to Max's version of swearing, to the random side characters forced into a found family, you can tell these were supposed to be lovable quirks making up a unique book, but none of them are interesting or grounded enough to have any allure. And lastly, the romance sucks. No one has any chemistry....more
1.5 stars Sorry friends, but I’m about to burst your bubble. Fear the Flames is a pointless mess. This book does not need to exist. Truly, who held a g1.5 stars Sorry friends, but I’m about to burst your bubble. Fear the Flames is a pointless mess. This book does not need to exist. Truly, who held a gun the head of everyone who gave this five stars. I hate to be that person, but like, media literacy guys. C’mon. Can’t you tell when a book lacks purpose? This book is being traditionally published because it’s tropes (enemies-to-lovers, dragons, stabby fmc) are trendy and marketable. But that’s all that this book is. Trendy tropes and dialogue borrowed from other popular novels all mashed together. And because every element is only added in for marketing, everything lacks rationale. The main character is a badass killer who calls men “territorial bastards”, but she has a soft spot for sweets, books, and beautiful lingerie (okay bootleg Celaena Sardothein, go off). The thing is, she grew up in a literal dungeon. And her safe haven town is in the middle a haunted forest. Where did she develop her love for lace lingerie, god only knows, but Aelin likes pretty things and the Throne of Glass books sold millions of copies, so why can’t Elowen be the exact same? Not only does this book have no plot to hold the tropes together, but it’s also ridiculously long. We get 600 pages of Cayden telling Elowen he wants to fuck her and would burn down the world for her (This starts like 20 pages in. There is no build up or tension or reason to care about the couple), but that’s literally the only plot. The dragons and heist that are mentioned in the synopsis only happen in the last 100 pages. If I had a penny for every time Cayden said a variation of “touch her and you die” (yk, cause the people on TikTok said they love that quote), I’d have enough money to get a refund on this book. I’ve read a lot of mediocre books, but for maybe the first time ever, I’m mad that I wasted my time on this one....more
If you stan this book, look away, because I am going to be blunt in my criticism. I don't care to dance around my feelings.
-There is some stuff in thiIf you stan this book, look away, because I am going to be blunt in my criticism. I don't care to dance around my feelings.
-There is some stuff in this book I enjoyed. I like seeing Xaden being open with his feelings, I like the dragons, and I like all the moments of camaraderie between the characters and their dragons -This book suffers second book syndrome, with far less plot points than the first book, but I think I still liked it more. It wasn't great, but it was original, which I cannot say for Fourth Wing -Fourth Wing was not high fantasy. This book tries to be, but not enough world building and overarching plot details had been set up enough prior to the 60% mark of this book, so when the plot does pick up it is incredibly messing and poorly paced. Essentially, there are too many new characters and plot twists in this book. If you are going to write a 5 book series you need to map it out so you don't lose readers. -On that note, this does not need to be a 5 book series. There isn't enough content for 5 books to be properly paced and engaging. Make it a trilogy. -Violet went from being not like other girls in a quirky way in the first book, to not like other girls in an overpowered way in this book. Rebecca Yarros constantly has characters remarking on how strong and smart she is. It doesn't help that Violet spends this whole book sulking and pushing people away. You can have a powerful and burdened main character who is still interesting to read about. Look at Aelin. But following Violet's inner monologue is a nuisance. -The excessive fighting, secret holding, and jealousy between Violet and Xaden is contrived and unnecessary. Sure, it somewhat pays off with the final twist, but romantic leads don't have to wait until the last book of the series to stop fighting and get together. Again, I'll point to Throne of Glass. Rowan and Aelin get together and don't fight after Heir of Fire. If your writing is strong, you can have strong characters work together and still be overwhelmed by a threat. You don't have to awkwardly force them apart. -Two strong women fighting and slut shaming each other over a man is not an interesting plot point -The writing quality is real bad. I'm talking pacing, diction, grammar, the use of exposition, prose, propose behind story beats, the inconsistent tone... Get this woman an editor. -The fantasy writing is alright, but by god, the politics are all over the place. -I liked that Rebecca Yarros didn't do what some authors (Sarah J Maas) do and write in fan service. There was a lot of hate from fans for Dain and Violet's mom. Rebecca Yarros (view spoiler)[ could have appeased them by justifying the fan theories and hatred, but she didn't. She wrote (somewhat) realistic characters who are not simply good or bad. They are allowed to mess up, but still have moments of redemption. (hide spoiler)] However, she did do some serious fan service with the way she wrote Xaden, and it got old fast. Every scene he is in he's dramatically telling Violet how he would die for her. I know everyone talks about how much they loves tropes and phrases like this, but when it's repeated so may times it becomes inauthentic.
One final message, since posting my initial review for this book and Fourth Wing, I have received some aggressive direct messages. At the end of the day, I don't care what books you like. I study English, and while writing can be criticized and analyzed, when it comes down to it, art is subjective and taste is personal. If you love this series, that is okay. All I really care about is that as the world falls apart, and people in power show their indifference to other people's struggles, you think critically about who you monetarily support.
3.5 stars Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord is a historical, romantic mystery. Admittedly, I didn't love this book's writing style. At times the femin3.5 stars Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord is a historical, romantic mystery. Admittedly, I didn't love this book's writing style. At times the feminist and romantic themes felt a little blunt and heavy handed. However, at the end of the day I enjoyed the themes and messaging itself so it didn't bother me too much. My only real issue with this book is that the ending was much darker than the rest of the story, and caught me a little off guard. Overall though, I'd recommend this to any historical fiction readers. It's a quick and exciting period piece! Thank you to Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the ARCs in exchange for an honest review!...more
Why do I keep listening to TikTok. I like small town romances, I like men who pine, and I like cowboys, but this book had nowhere near enough of any oWhy do I keep listening to TikTok. I like small town romances, I like men who pine, and I like cowboys, but this book had nowhere near enough of any of those things to make up for how underwhelming it is. The premise: eh. The characters: generic. The enemies-to-lovers romance: boring, to be honest. Also the use of the word slay doomed this book for me...more
Ali Hazelwood stans, please avert your eyes. I'm going to be mean.
I never fooled myself into thinking Ali Hazelwood’s books were well written, but heyAli Hazelwood stans, please avert your eyes. I'm going to be mean.
I never fooled myself into thinking Ali Hazelwood’s books were well written, but hey, they were fun. I heard great things about this book, so I thought maybe the plot would still be fun and the writing got better. Boy, was I wrong.
The more I read this book the more I hated it. First, and most obviously, let me just unsubtley mention that every Ali Hazelwood book is the same. In EVERY book, -a small, poor, quirky girl in need of saving meets an unreasonably large man who makes $500k despite being an under-appreciated scientist in a niche field of study (yah, sure) -she hates him because of some stupid misunderstanding so unlikely and convoluted it makes her seem downright stupid -but oh wow no way, he never hated her and has been in love with her the whole time -our small, short, petite, protagonist who doesn't know she's beautiful tries to make her way through a career in stem academia, but she just can't :( it's too hard as a woman (Seriously, I fucking hate this part. Ali Hazelwood very clearly tries to make her books feminist, and yet every time she depicts academia as an inescapable hell hole for women. Yes, it can be a brutal, unfair field, I know from experience, but the only reason Ali Hazelwood's protagonists ever gain any respect in their work lives is because their big brooding man stands up for them. It really undermines all the attempts at creating a feminist theme) -the guy and girl start to hang out together, and hold on, he's not that bad -they interact in the least realistic depictions of academia and human interaction you've ever read -our girl Ali inserts a bunch of pop culture meme's from 2012 and shitty jokes -she then mentions how the main character loves (insert trending topic) and (insert something political) to buy the reader’s favour -and boom, they've in love -they have a lot of awkward sex -man says "I love you and I would kill people for you" cause yk, this is how scientists in love behave -the girl for some reason says, "wait, actually I'm not ready" -they break up for no reason -they get back together -there's an epilogue in which they are both world renowned scientists yayyy Also literally all the covers and titles are the same
Now I had heard (granted, from BookTok) that this book was nothing like Ali Hazelwood's other books. "It's so different and unique." There were two differences. 1: It starts with the protagonist fake dating some who isn't the love interest. This lasts about 100 pages. Then she meets the love interest and we are back to our tried and true Ali Hazelwood plot. And 2: The love interest is openly and vocally pining for the protagonist, rather than just quietly (but still obviously) doing so. Everyone on TikTok is acting like this makes him a whole new character, unlike any seen before, but it really doesn't.
And lastly, Elsie's character (and arc) was too un-interesting to have me believing that someone loved her. That's mean, I'm sorry, but it's true. Her only character trait is that she needs to be liked. She pretends to be whatever people want from her until she loses herself completely. She feels especially like she needs to perform around men so that they approve of her. This should be, at its core, a very relatable and touching theme for young women to connect to. It's something that I myself have experienced, and yet, Ali Hazelwood conveys her themes so poorly and in such a blunt manner that I couldn't give a single shit about this supposedly touching character arc. Elsie's character arc is embarrassingly juvenile. She lets people call her the wrong name for years, her best friends and roommate knows nothing about her, she literally falls in love with Jack because he tells her that she is allowed to have a personality (Yet again, another issue that only a man can solve for some reason). I honestly felt like I was reading a children's book when I had to read Elsie's internal monologue and her "revelations". None of Ali Hazelwood's characters act like real people, but my god, Elsie was particularly flat.
I could pick apart every line of this book in excruciating detail, but I kind of miss not feeling angry, you know, so I'm going to put this experience behind me....more
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