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30something_reads's Reviews (820)
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
UM WHAT?? This was incredible.
I did not know what to expect out of this since Historical Fiction is not typically a genre I gravitate towards but, damn. What a masterful blend of history and paranormal. A chilling tale that, although fictional, brings to light the real horrors of the Jim Crow era in the South.
I can't stop thinking about this one line-
I did not know what to expect out of this since Historical Fiction is not typically a genre I gravitate towards but, damn. What a masterful blend of history and paranormal. A chilling tale that, although fictional, brings to light the real horrors of the Jim Crow era in the South.
I can't stop thinking about this one line-
And of course Haddock had never hit Colonel. Haddock couldn't train his bloodhound the way he trained the boys.
This audiobook was phenomenal. I would absolutely recommend that listening experience and I will be looking up other works narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt. <--- JK. I just realized that she narrated Legendborn (among many others- I will just be bumping some of these up the TBR.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, Police brutality
Moderate: Slavery, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Death of parent
adventurous
medium-paced
Dominic Le Veq is the swooniest.
I had fun with this one. I only wish there had been a little more tension between Dominic and Claire. They got too comfy, too fast.
I had fun with this one. I only wish there had been a little more tension between Dominic and Claire. They got too comfy, too fast.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Proof that men are dumb regardless of what planet they're from.
Actually, this one was pretty fun (in that dark, angsty kind of way.) I really liked the premise and the flow of Rosie and Balgiz's relationship. I liked the tension and the chemistry build-up.
I kind of lost interest in the rest of the plot around the 60% mark (and I think that's just on me.) I may come back and finish this series later but now is no longer the time.
Actually, this one was pretty fun (in that dark, angsty kind of way.) I really liked the premise and the flow of Rosie and Balgiz's relationship. I liked the tension and the chemistry build-up.
I kind of lost interest in the rest of the plot around the 60% mark (and I think that's just on me.) I may come back and finish this series later but now is no longer the time.
Content Warnings
Minor: Miscarriage
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Dark, angsty, gritty - all of the things I like with VK Ludwig's stories. This one just didn't quite keep my attention the way that the first on did. But it definitely does a great job of incorporating plot lines for future books.
Ludwig's writing and worldbuilding remind me a lot of Elizabeth Stephen's series. (which is probably why I've gotten invested.) I thought I would be moving on after this one, but nope. I got sucked in at the last chapter so now I'm on to Book 3.
Ludwig's writing and worldbuilding remind me a lot of Elizabeth Stephen's series. (which is probably why I've gotten invested.) I thought I would be moving on after this one, but nope. I got sucked in at the last chapter so now I'm on to Book 3.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Back on my alien bullshit.
This was a rollercoaster and I kind of liked it? SO much happened but it definitely did a great job with setting the scene for the series.
And honesty, after seeing the number of negative reviews about the MC being a bitch, I'm inclined to like it even more because I, too, would be a bitch amidst an alien invasion 🤷🏻♀️
This was a rollercoaster and I kind of liked it? SO much happened but it definitely did a great job with setting the scene for the series.
And honesty, after seeing the number of negative reviews about the MC being a bitch, I'm inclined to like it even more because I, too, would be a bitch amidst an alien invasion 🤷🏻♀️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Pregnancy
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
My favorite part of this was when the author put in the author's note: "Don't worry, I'm fine and my husband is alive."
An intro to the series- Lizzy, an author, is married to a shitty, abusive man who also happens to be a scientist that is trying to prove the existence of aliens. They are fighting, it gets physical. Enter: big alien man who *pew pews* her husband for digging too deep. Lizzy is not sad about it.
Alien is hot.
Lizzie finds out a little bit about the invasion plan that his species is about to initiate.
They play house for a night.
He takes her with him.
30 pages, nothing spectacular. But it was a good little intro for what's about to go down in the series. Reading the first book now and it already has a way more developed plot.
An intro to the series- Lizzy, an author, is married to a shitty, abusive man who also happens to be a scientist that is trying to prove the existence of aliens. They are fighting, it gets physical. Enter: big alien man who *pew pews* her husband for digging too deep. Lizzy is not sad about it.
Alien is hot.
Lizzie finds out a little bit about the invasion plan that his species is about to initiate.
They play house for a night.
He takes her with him.
30 pages, nothing spectacular. But it was a good little intro for what's about to go down in the series. Reading the first book now and it already has a way more developed plot.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have never been this thoroughly invested in a set of characters by the end of Chapter 1- ever! The way Faizal introduces some of the core characters and this world had me hooked immediately.
A Tempest of Tea is the perfect blend of found-family, heisty goodness (a la Six Of Crows) paired with the dangerous allure of vampires and a heaping dose of anti-colonial rebellion.
Every single character is engaging and well defined but none of them compare to the magnificence of Arthie Casimir. She is that girl. She knows it. Everyone who comes into contact with her knows it. I am obsessed with her and the way she unapologetically moves through the world.
The pacing of the storyline is fantastic and had me unable to put it down. Every POV change felt precise and intentionally executed. Every character carried the story beautifully.
Such a compelling start to the series - I cannot wait to see where this story goes!
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is one of those instances where I went into this book with the full expectation that I would LOVE it and that unfortunately just did not happen. There were parts that I really enjoyed though. Below is a list (and it does contain spoilers so proceed with caution.)
Things that I liked:
- Queer norm AND disability norm world - Honestly, one of the things I was most excited about with this book. I loved that one of our main characters is sapphic and how standard queer relationships were within the world. And I enjoyed how there were multiple characters with varying physical disabilities, including our other main POV character.
- The magic system - VERY cool. I don't think I have ever read about a magic system incorporating drums like this. And the obeah?? LOVED them. It was reminiscent of the daemons in His Dark Materials.
- The lore and the worldbuilding - LOVED the premise behind the three species and how they came to be.
- Sister POVs (rather than love interest POVs) - I thought this was a really refreshing change of pace, especially for a Romantasy. I loved the focus on the relationship between the two sisters
- Rayan’s storyline - to be fair, at first I did not really care for Rayan and he felt a little bland BUT I did love where the author went with his character ARC (and it actually turned out to be the most interesting character arc for me.)
So all of these things were great! But unfortunately, there were quite a few things that I really did not like as well.
Things that I didn’t like:
- Lettle- I liked her less and less as the story progressed (which is unfortunate considering she is a main POV character) and by the last couple chapters?? She comes off as very selfish and hypocritical. Especially pertaining to Yeeran's decisions at the end. Hopefully that is intentional and addressed later? Idk though.
- All of the heavy-handed reminders of prophesies made the majority of the plot very predictable. - This was especially frustrating as this is an adult fantasy book. The constant references back to earlier prophecies kept feeling like the author didn't trust the reader to remember.
- Also all of the Darth Father situations with some of these characters and their “secret” identities. - Truly... it just felt like more instances where I'm not sure if we were supposed to pick up on them immediately... because, I did.
- The romantic relationships - didn’t really feel authentic or like they had enough time to develop. This was the situation with BOTH couples as they progress. The initial set up for Yeeran and Furi was amazing - a perfect enemies to lovers arc - but then it was "I hate you" to one meaningful conversation to "we're both insanely attracted to one another" to "I think I'm in love"?? And the same really goes for Lettle and Rayan. They had a great start, barely communicated throughout the entire middle, and then Lettle somehow thinks "Yeah I'm in love with him".... so I just didn't buy the chemistry in either romance.
- The spice kind of felt unnecessary - Usually you will never catch me saying this because I love a spicy scene but I think this goes hand in hand with the fact that I did not feel committed to the romance. For me, the spice is always an added bonus after tons of tension and build up. And unfortunately I did not feel either in these relationships.
And where does this leave me? Honestly, idk. I see where the series is progressing. But I'm not sure if I'm committed enough to these characters to continue.
*The audiobook was good though! And shout out to PRH Audio Influencer Program for providing a free listener copy. *
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
It took me a little bit longer to get into this story compared to the first (What Moves the Dead) but once I did, it was a really good time. The spooky atmospheric setting was perfect.
T Kingfisher's brand of weird paired with the dry humor just really speaks to me.
I love Alex Easton. Their sarcasm and self deprecating sense of humor always has me laughing out loud.
A kind of spoiler but not really:
Going into this, I was so worried about Alex's horse (because of the cover.) I'm happy to report that no horse was harmed in the duration of this book.
T Kingfisher's brand of weird paired with the dry humor just really speaks to me.
I love Alex Easton. Their sarcasm and self deprecating sense of humor always has me laughing out loud.
A kind of spoiler but not really:
Going into this, I was so worried about Alex's horse (because of the cover.) I'm happy to report that no horse was harmed in the duration of this book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Violence, Alcohol, War
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Why would Ruby Barrett write this??😭❤️😭
(I mean that in the best way possible.)
Full RTC after coffee
*****
I said full review after coffee and now it's almost 2 months later AND IM STILL NOT OVER THESE TWO!
Ruby Barrett has created something really special with Lulu's and Jesse's stories. I don't think I have ever fully related to both characters in a romance that way that I did with these two.
At it's heart, this is a story about the difficulties of starting over as an adult- professionally, romantically, when it comes to forming new relationships, and rediscovering who you are when life falls apart.
Lulu returns to her hometown to take a professorial position at the local university after deciding to leave her previous position (where she caught her boyfriend and best friend- who were also work professional colleagues- cheating together.) Now she is starting over in a new department and finds herself struggling to connect with her new team and it all feels a little bit hopeless.
Jesse is feeling like a shell of who he once was. He's still physically and emotionally recovering from an accident that left him disabled/ using a mobility device and unable to continue his career as a firefighter- a job that he has built his entire sense of purpose around. In addition, he is struggling with the recent deterioration of his grandfathers health (Alzheimer's) that has left him permanently in a nursing home and unable to remember Jesse. He is feeling regret and guilt over the fact that he never came out as bisexual to the man who raised him.
Trying to put yourself back out there as an adult is hard.
Lulu and Jesse are set up on a blind date by a mutual friend. There is definitely physical chemistry but it ends up being kind of a disaster. They are later reunited as participants in a psychological study being conducted at the university. The study is looking for 30-somethings that are having difficulty forming new friendships in adulthood. They are encouraged to engage in group activities in the hopes of forming bonds with the other participants. The only rule is that they cannot become sexually involved.
This should be great- Lulu and Jesse can start over as friends with zero weirdness. Except, as their friendship blossoms, so does the reminder of their mutual sexual attraction. Don't break the rules.
Bending the rules is not breaking them, right? (They actually get pretty creative.)
Lulu and Jesse were both so special to me and I loved seeing how they grew together as well as their individual journeys. Their 'friends with very specific benefits' relationship was also very sexy. (Though, I won't get into details in order to avoid spoilers.)
I'll gladly yap about this book with anyone who wants to discuss it in detail. Just know that I love them and this book with my whole heart.
(I mean that in the best way possible.)
Full RTC after coffee
*****
I said full review after coffee and now it's almost 2 months later AND IM STILL NOT OVER THESE TWO!
Ruby Barrett has created something really special with Lulu's and Jesse's stories. I don't think I have ever fully related to both characters in a romance that way that I did with these two.
At it's heart, this is a story about the difficulties of starting over as an adult- professionally, romantically, when it comes to forming new relationships, and rediscovering who you are when life falls apart.
Lulu returns to her hometown to take a professorial position at the local university after deciding to leave her previous position (where she caught her boyfriend and best friend- who were also work professional colleagues- cheating together.) Now she is starting over in a new department and finds herself struggling to connect with her new team and it all feels a little bit hopeless.
Jesse is feeling like a shell of who he once was. He's still physically and emotionally recovering from an accident that left him disabled/ using a mobility device and unable to continue his career as a firefighter- a job that he has built his entire sense of purpose around. In addition, he is struggling with the recent deterioration of his grandfathers health (Alzheimer's) that has left him permanently in a nursing home and unable to remember Jesse. He is feeling regret and guilt over the fact that he never came out as bisexual to the man who raised him.
Trying to put yourself back out there as an adult is hard.
Lulu and Jesse are set up on a blind date by a mutual friend. There is definitely physical chemistry but it ends up being kind of a disaster. They are later reunited as participants in a psychological study being conducted at the university. The study is looking for 30-somethings that are having difficulty forming new friendships in adulthood. They are encouraged to engage in group activities in the hopes of forming bonds with the other participants. The only rule is that they cannot become sexually involved.
This should be great- Lulu and Jesse can start over as friends with zero weirdness. Except, as their friendship blossoms, so does the reminder of their mutual sexual attraction. Don't break the rules.
Bending the rules is not breaking them, right? (They actually get pretty creative.)
Lulu and Jesse were both so special to me and I loved seeing how they grew together as well as their individual journeys. Their 'friends with very specific benefits' relationship was also very sexy. (Though, I won't get into details in order to avoid spoilers.)
I'll gladly yap about this book with anyone who wants to discuss it in detail. Just know that I love them and this book with my whole heart.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Dementia, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Biphobia, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent