bookishbillijean's Reviews (586)

𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 4.5/5⭐️

𝓢𝓹𝓲𝓬𝓮 1/5🌶️

A Song of Shadow & Starlight by @authormorgan is book one in the Shadow and Starlight series! Shaye is the sole heir to the Midorian throne. On the eve of her wedding night she is kidnapped by her kingdoms sworn enemy! In her attempts to escape she is thrust into dangers and perils she has only ever read about. As a sheltered heir with little contact outside her court she is in for a real adventure. 

Give me all the shadow daddies please! I ATE THIS UP! I own the first two books so I most definitely plan to start the next one soon!. Shaye is sweet but doesn’t take shit lying down. She knows she was sheltered and she knows that maybe everything she was told may not be true but she still trying to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. 

The fairytale vibes in this were *chefs kiss*, Hidden magic, true form, shadow daddy, kidnapping turned allies, adventures and perilous pursuits, and found family. Yes, please. Sign me up. The only thing I can say is my relationship with slow burn romance is a love/hate one. I am greedy and I want a slow burn but I also want some resolution… 

I really enjoyed how easy the fantasy was. The world building was there but it wasn’t hard to follow and it was seamless. 

Seriously give this a shot if you want all of the things we love in a fantasy romance! On to book 2!

𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 5/5⭐️

Beartown by Fredrik Backman is the first book in the Beartown series. Beartown is a small Swedish town that is obsessed with hockey. The town is shrinking in the passing years but had an opportunity to grow again when their junior hockey team is in the finals. 

I honestly had no idea what this book was really about going into it. This does have a really slow start as it introduces the town and the characters. Sets up the scene and what it means to live in Beartown. 

I am so glad I stuck with it though because wow! I could not even pick a favorite quote because I think it just had such a great message. I would say this is very character driven that touches on some pretty sensitive and heart breaking topics. 

The amount of pressure placed on these boys to play hockey and live up to this expectation is truly insane. The emphasis on right and wrong, good and bad, and doing what is right is so palpable. 

I highly recommend this book to those who like emotionally charged character driven literary fiction. 

𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 4/5⭐️

A Killer’s Mind by Mike Omer is the first book in the Zoe Bentley Mystery series! Zoe is a forensic psychologist called to assist on a case of strangled, embalmed, and posed women all over Chicago. Working either an FBI partner on this case quickly takes a wrong turn when evidence found links to Zoe’s childhood. 

This was so good! Definitely my sort of book. This psychological thriller was action-packed, laser-focused, and had a great mix of emotionally distress and physical action. Special Agent Tatum and Zoe make one excellent team once they finally start working together. 

I did enjoy the dual timeline! This really provided a good look into Zoe’s start in forensic psychology and how it is connected to these cases now! 

Would definitely recommend this to those who like fast-paced psychological thrillers with a strong female lead. 

I am definitely planning on continuing this series. Cannot wait to see where Zoe and Tatum go with this new relationship. Hopefully solving cases and kicking butt. 

𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 4/5⭐️

Red Rising by Pierce Brown is the first book in the Red Rising Saga. Darrow is a Red which means he is of the lowest level of their color-coded society. He realizes they have been lied to and eventually he sacrifices everything to infiltrate the system. 

This was a wild ride! Dark and adventurous. Political intrigue, fantastic world building, and rebellions! I am not a huge fan of dystopian type settings but I still really enjoyed this. 

I think this was a great introduction book. Really sets the scene, builds the world, and develops our characters. 

I am definitely excited to continue on with this series. 

𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 5/5⭐️

Shanghai Immortal by A.Y. Chao is a medium-paced Asian historical fantasy with mythological tales and a strong female lead. Lady Jing is a half vampire and half hulijing who was sold to the King of Hell for a diamond. Never really feeling like she fits in anywhere and always trying to control her temper.  

This was magical! I honestly have been loving this genre so much and this did not disappoint. Lady Jing is resourceful, strong willed, but also caring and compassionate even if she doesn’t always show it. The setting of this book was FIRE. Jazz era! I just loved everything about it so much. 

It at one point had me laughing so hard I was crying and then I went back and read the chapter again just because it made me so happy! Then in a different chapter it brought tears to my eyes for an entirely different reason. 

I just cannot get over how much I loved this book. I honestly can say this is a top contender so far for my fave book of the year. I am definitely going to add this to my “I would reread this book” list. 

Lady Jing had such a nice character development! 

I recommend this to those who love asian historical fantasy with mythological aspects, snarky FMC, and an easy to follow fantasy world!

𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 4/5⭐️

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager follows Jules a young woman who suddenly finds herself out of a boyfriend, out of a job, and out of a place to live she answers an ad to be an apartment sitter at the famous Bartholomew building. It all seems too good to be true but she needs the job and the place to live. 

This is a slow burn mystery but is totally worth it! I ignored all other books I was reading today so I could finish this! I would say it is medium-paced with fast-paced suspense towards the ending! 

The way the narrator digs deeper into the past of the building and the people living within it really takes a dark and nefarious turn! I loved the tension and the content feeling of being on edge as she tries to figure out what is happening. 

I would highly recommend to those who like dark mysteries showcasing unreliable picture perfect settings! 

𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 4/5⭐️

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb is the first book in The Farseer Trilogy. Fitz has been born a bastard by the crown prince who is next in line to be king. After the crown prince abdicates his throne out of shame, Fitz is brought to the keep where is despised and then trained to be an assassin in order to serve his king.

I really enjoyed this! I thought it was very unique not just in the magic and the world but in the writing. Each chapter we get a little history and a little introspection into certain events. I enjoyed Fitz’s character. I thought he was very easy to attach too. 

For some reason I loved all the names in this book. Could have been because they were so easy to pronounce and I wasn’t making a bunch of pronunciations up in my head. The “magic” they posses was definitely different. Took me a minute to grasp it but once I did it was nice to see how it was being used. 

While I enjoyed this book I do feel like the pacing was a little off. Some parts seemed really slow but then the ending felt kind of rushed. I am glad there are two more books thought because I definitely want to read them. 

𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 4/5⭐️

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson is the first book in The Starlight Archive series. This book is an epic fantasy that sets up the world, scene, plot, and characters for this series. Centuries after the fall of the Knights Radiant the world of Rosier is a world of storms and stone. 

There are several different viewpoints. We have main character chapters and then interlude chapters which have different viewpoints as well. I really loved a few of the characters and connected most with their stories. Shallan and Kaladin were my favorites. 

When I say epic fantasy I mean epic fantasy. There is so much to this book. So much back story, world building, and character development that it did take me a while to really grasp the book. I think around page 600 I was like oh yeah okay I get it now.

After that the next 400 pages were so much easier to follow! I am excited to continue with this series and see where it goes!

𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 4.5/5⭐️

𝓢𝓹𝓲𝓬𝓮 3/5🌶️

Taming 7 by Chloe Walsh is book 5 in the Boys of Tommen series. This is Claire and Gerard story. Gerard (Gibsie) is Tommen’s class clown and Claire is his best friend’s little sister and a ray of sunshine. They have always been the best of friends but Claire is ready for more but is Gerard? 

This was HEARTBREAKING, devastating, and all of the things. I really thought this was so well done! Gibsie brings the comedic relief we need during these emotionally charged revelations. The way he uses humor to hide his pain just breaks my heart. 

Claire made me a little mad during this book, I know her heart was in the right place but she just went about things in the wrong way. Lizzie is the absolute worst! The worst! I know the next book I think is hers and my gosh I hope it’s a redemption story!

I am loving this whole series so much! I love the tidbits we get of Aoife and Joey. Johnny is everything to me and I just cannot! Still wanting @ to write a book about how his parents met and their love story! 🤣

Now we wait for the release of the next book. 

𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 3.5/5⭐️

Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson follows Mary a 16 year old girl who is living in a group home after being released from what she called “baby jail” after being convicted of murdering a baby, (allegedly). 

This is a young adult thriller. It is steady-paced and has a lot of emotionally upsetting moments especially when discussing the events leading up to and the during the murder. You want to feel bad for Mary. You want her to tell the “truth”. 

You root for her. You hope she gets everything she wants. This was a good read. I wasn’t like enthralled but I enjoyed it and the end did rattle me. I was annoyed with it. The writing bugged me a little but that is a personal preference. 

I think if you want a gritty young adult thriller with an unreliable narrator this is for you.