30something_reads's Reviews (820)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Surprisingly, I think I may have enjoyed this one even more than the first. This series is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I love that in this installment we are getting so much more of the larger world. More characters, more motives, more tension. But at the same time, Victor and Eli are still at the heart of this story. 

<b>“<I>Normal is overrated.</I> Spoken like someone who didn’t have to work so hard at it. Who hadn’t needed <i>normal</i> to survive.”</b>

One of the best parts of this book, for me, was finally getting insight into Eli’s past – and It. Was. Chilling. Seeing more of the story through his lens made his and Victor’s relationship even more tragic. They are opposite sides of the same coin. A boy who had to adapt to survive and a boy who didn’t see the point in trying.

 <b>"Eli found himself culling the unnecessary trappings, trimming his persona down to the essentials. And when he did that, Victor warmed. Turned toward Eli like a face toward a mirror. Like to like. It frightened and thrilled Eli, to be seen, and to see himself reflected." </b>

These two were always inevitable. Their potential for greatness as a team is only outdone by the havoc that they wreak in their mutual quests to destroy each another. It’s 15 years later and they're still haunted and obsessed. 

<b>“His eyes met Victor’s, and for a second neither man moved. <i>Run</i>, thought Victor, and he could see the response in Eli’s coiled frame. <i>Chase me.</i>”</b>

I am dying over the fact that there is not even a whisper of a release date for <b>Victorious</b>.

It starts with a questionable croissant. An adorable meet-cute. A whirlwind 24 hours of romance. And then chaos ensues with their competing engineering firms. 

Sadie rages and curses Eric's entire existence and meanwhile Eric is over here wondering where the hell it went wrong. Poor guy. Luckily they get stuck in an elevator and have a chance to hash it all out. 

Cute, quirky, and a little bit steamy. This was a good time. 

(Also, if you're not picturing Alexander Skarsgärd as Eric, you're doing it wrong.)

4.5 ⭐

YES. This was the dynamic I was waiting for! 

Marriage of convenience  
Forced proximity
He falls first- the big dummy. 
Meddling family members (Cannot wait for Cal's story)

I adored Declan and Iris from the start! They were a delight. 

I even liked the pregnancy bits 😂

*SPOILERS*
I would have loved for there to have been a moment where they discuss Declan acknowledging that he subconsciously sabotaged his other fake marriage candidates because it was always Iris. 😩 That's all I was missing here!

3.5  ish?⭐

This was really cute- I definitely see the appeal!

I loved Zahra's character. Perfect sunshine for Rowan's grump. Her backstory and her relationship with her sister were super sweet and really gave her motivations depth and propelled the story line beautifully. 

Rowan was hit or miss for me during this and I think it's because he had so many conflicting personality things going on and it didn't quite jive. 

Overall, cute story! I really like the series concept and I am very excited for Declan and Iris.

"It's why I let you stay... why I liked you. All that charm outside, all that evil inside. There was a monster under there, long before you died." 

Just. Yes. This was everything I needed. This story had me hooked from page 1.

A thesis about the existence of EOs goes from theoretical to experimental for college roommates/friends Eli Carsale and Victor Vale. The aftermath is dark and gritty. 

Eli had a purpose and Victor has a score to settle. 

You want morally grey? Victor Vale is the textbook definition of morally grey, anti hero. Honestly, on paper, there is no reason to root for Victor, but here I am, loving this character to death. (I'm sure it has to do with his penchant for "taking in strays".) 

Schwab creates such great tension in her storytelling. The majority of the book is told in a nonlinear timeline- jumping back and forth by years, weeks, days -  but then as we approach the end, every chapter is a countdown to the final act. SO GOOD. I could not put it down. 

Did Tessa Bailey just single-handedly erase all of my preconceived notions and make me fall in love with the friends to lovers trope? Yes the fuck she did. 😫❤️

Bruh. After this furious series reread- I am exhausted 😆😴

This was such an action packed conclusion to the initial trilogy. 

I originally enjoyed this book more than ACOMAF but after the reread, I am sticking to my conclusion of ACOMAF being my fave of the series.

There are a couple moments throughout this book that just has me going "huh, this is very convenient". Like Feyre, right off the bat, toppling the Spring Court form within. My original read, I was like, yes. This is badass. But on the second go around, I was just finding myself thinking, like when did Feyre become a master of espionage in the few months she was away? 

And speaking of the couple of months she was away, how did she suddenly master all of the high lords powers that quickly? She went from making cute little water animals in the bathtub to drowning people in the heat of battle. 

Some other super convenient things:

The Suriel. Don't know what to do? Find the Suriel. And for a singular being on the ENTIRETY of Prythian, Feyre sure could find it fairly easily. 

And Elain, who didn't do any training of her Seer powers, just closes her eyes and finds the Suriel on the first try. 😆

Obviously, I still really love this series. I am having so much fun finding little hints and clues to ANY potential connections to CC. 

I love the set up for Nesta and Cassian in this ❤️ 

And honestly, I still can figure out why there is so much Nesta hate after this. 🤨🤨🤨 

Nothing wrong - just lost interest. I'll probably come back to it later

3.5 ⭐ reread

I don't know if I ever rated this the first time around. Despite a lot of the same feelings I have about SJM's writing, as a whole, this series continues to hold a special place in my heart. ❤️  (For getting me out of that 10 year reading slump.)

I did have a good time going back in and tabbing this book! Going in and finding the breadcrumbs that SJM left was super 😊 And, OH boy, the red flags of Tamlin's behaviors were my favorite 🚩🚩🚩👀👀

Continuing my reread 👍🏻

3.75 ⭐

There were moments throughout the book where I imagined and speculated the possibility of that conclusion (in the vaguest sense) but I was still so shocked and thrilled with that ending! The possibilities! 🤯😍

I was really glad that Danika's past continued to play a role in book two - especially because Bryce's commitment to and friendship with Danika is still my favorite thing about her character. 😆🤷🏻‍♀️

And once again, I am totally invested in some of the side characters. I am 100% here for Ruhn. He has my heart completely and must be protected at all cost. Ithan as well. Please keep the pup safe 😩🙏🏻 (And obviously Hunt is a literal angel and I love him.)

I will say, for a CC1 epilogue that featured Jesiba and Aidas, there was a disappointing lack of both characters in the second book. (Hoping to see more of both in book 3).

Something I noticed again while reading this is the way SJM over describes. She tends to spell everything out for the reader, in excess, to the point of it being unappealing. Examples: 

       1. I get that Flynn is the lovable goofball- I don't need entire conversations between him and Declan/Ruhn that are them joking about their drinking shenanigans. It's already well established. 
       2. Hunt sits down to lunch with Isaiah. I don't need to know the exact ingredients in his sandwich. Why?
       3. I get it, Bryce is hot. Please tell me one more time how her tiny dress hugs the curves of her body in a distracting way. 

I don't know. It's weird and possibly knit picky but once I started to notice it, I could not stop. 😬 

I've continued to realize that, for me, her writing style is definitely more palatable when listening on audiobook. And honestly, the narrator does such a wonderful job of setting the tone and bringing the characters to life. ❤️

__________________________________________________________

"OMFG!!!!!!" Was my initial reaction to that ending 🤯

So. It's fine. I'm fine. Only 2 years to stew in my theories now, I guess 😂

I'll write a more comprehensive review later. A lot of my feelings around the first book still stand with this one. A very entertaining story though