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bookrecsbyjess
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
What it's about:
This story takes place during the events of Powerless. It follows Paedyn's best friend Adena. She is a seamstress trying to survive on the streets when she meets Mak, a man who needs her help getting into the royal palace.
What I thought:
Adena is so precious, and I loved her relationship with Mak. They were so cute and funny together. It was nice getting to know more about her backstory. It was also so heartbreaking.
> this story was so sweet and heartbreaking
> I loved getting to know more about this side character from Powerless
> I think if you read this in tandem with Powerless, it might be a slightly better experience but more heartbreaking
🎧 Audiobook Thoughts: I really liked these narrators.
⚠️ death, violence, and some other heavy content.
🌶️ just kisses
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
What it's about:
Paedyn has been living in the streets and hiding her "ordinary" status from the elites. When she unknowingly rescues the prince, she finds herself thrown into deadly trials where she has to choose whether to trust the prince or not.
What I thought:
I loved this book! Paedyn and Kai had such great tension and so many great scenes together. The trials reminded me a lot of The Hunger Games, which I loved. I also enjoyed the side characters in this story too.
> I loved this!
> Paedyn is a great protagonist
> Kai 😍😍😍
> the tension between Kai & Paedyn 🔥
> love the Hunger Games style trials
> so many cute scenes
> the dancing! 😍
> “who did this to you?” 🥹
🎧 Audiobook Thoughts: I really enjoyed these narrators and would recommend this format.
⚠️ lots of violence, death of loved ones, grief, panic attacks, and more.
🌶️ just kisses
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Alcohol
Thank you to She Writes Press for the gifted ebook. All opinions are my own.
Why I chose to read this book:
I was asked to read and review this book, and from the synopsis I was given, it sounded like something I would enjoy.
My thoughts:
This book was bleak the entire time I was reading it. The main character experienced one traumatic event after another, and the writing was so graphic at times. I just couldn't stomach the content of this book. If you like depressing stories with a LOT of triggering content, then I think you'll enjoy this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Classism
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Thank you Entangled Publishing for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
What it's about:
Jasper Maycott, Earl of Belhaven, finds a mysterious woman out in the snow on his property. After bringing her back to his estate, he realizes that she not only has injuries from falling off her horse but also has no memories of the accident or who she is.
What I thought:
I loved this book. It's a slower paced story, but I loved how the author handled the topic of grief. I also enjoyed the slow burn romance between Jasper and "Jane." I thought they brought out the best in each other.
> I loved this book!
> the author did such a great job discussing grief
> the romance was cute
> I liked how the amnesia trope was done in this book
⚠️ this book deals with grief throughout the entire story because of the many losses these characters have experienced.
🌶️ open door scenes are at the end of the book and can easily be skipped.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC. All opinions are my own.
Why I chose to read this book:
I previously read The Reunion by this author and enjoyed it. Also, this was an option for January's Simon & Schuster Audio influencer program.
My thoughts:
I liked a lot of what I read, but I also think it won't be memorable for me. The relationship seemed like it developed too quickly, and the characters didn't seem to have very distinct personalities. Also, the main character's sister was the main reason that I gave up on this story. The narration was good though.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
What it's about:
Kit and Jackson have new roles in this story and have to make choices that affect others besides themselves. There's also an additional POV added to this story that follows a romance between two side characters.
What I thought:
I enjoyed this book a lot. The new romance was so sweet. I also found the investigations interesting. The faith journey in this book was good too.
> this was a fun story
> I loved the new romance
> the extra POV was great
> the investigations were interesting
🎧 Audiobook Thoughts: the narrator was great, but I wish there had been a couple more for the other POVs.
⚠️ there are several heavy topics discussed in this book relating to the investigations.
🌶️ just kisses
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Kidnapping
Moderate: Suicide, Blood, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
What it's about:
In this sequel, Kit and Jackson have some relationship issues after Kit decides that she wants to give Jackson the gift of discovering the truth behind his brother's attack. Kit doesn't realize that in the process, she has endangered her relationship with Jackson.
What I thought:
I enjoyed this book a lot. I didn't like it quite as much as the first book, but that's mainly because I was frustrated with the
relationship troubles in this book. I did like how much the characters grew in this story.
> I enjoyed being back in this world
> the relationship struggles frustrated me
> Kit was pretty clueless and hardheaded in this book
🎧 Audiobook Thoughts: I enjoyed the narrator but wish there had been another narrator for the other POV.
⚠️ several darker topics discussed in this book within and outside of the investigations.
🌶️ just kisses
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Thank you to Penguin Teen for the ARC of The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor. All opinions are my own.
This book was so fascinating and had such wonderful characters. I loved it so much and can’t wait to read more books by this author in the future.
In this magical book, the characters dealt with a type of magic called scriptomancy, which allowed mail couriers to enchant letters in order to deliver them to other worlds. I found scriptomancy so interesting. I loved learning about different inks and how writing was something that people had to be trained for years to do.
My favorite part of this story was Tristan. He was so misunderstood by everyone, but he was so thoughtful and sweet. I loved how sarcastic he was with Maeve and how he cared so much about her wellbeing.
Maeve was a great protagonist, and I loved seeing her build relationships with people after being isolated for so long. I didn’t always agree with her decisions, but I understood where she was coming from.
The relationship between Tristan and Maeve was so sweet and funny. Their meet cute was hilarious, and I loved how often Tristan brought it up. I also loved how they lifted each other up and believed in one another.
Overall, I loved this story and would recommend it! I would love to read more about these characters in the future too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Murder
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
What it's about:
Jackson is finding the learning curve difficult in his new job as a constable. When he runs into Kit, who's running a Robin Hood scheme to help the people of London, he never expects to need her help to solve the mystery behind a missing
man.
What I thought:
This was such a fun book! I loved the humor, spiritual moments, romance, and mystery. The characters were lovable, and I enjoyed seeing them banter and work together.
> this was such a fun story
> I loved Kit and Jackson working together
> the mystery was interesting
> the Christian faith elements were a nice addition
> the characters were lovable
> I loved the historical details
🎧 Audiobook Thoughts: I enjoyed this narrator and her different voices. I do wish there had been a second narrator for Jackson’s POV.
⚠️ the world in which these characters live is pretty dark, and since they are solving a mystery, there are heavy topics associated with that.
🌶️ just kisses
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Confinement, Murder
Minor: Suicide
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Libro.fm for the ALC of The Favorites by Layne Fargo. All opinions are my own.
This book is all about the drama! If you like trashy reality TV shows, then I think you’ll enjoy this book. The characters are brutal and unlikable, but the way the story is told from multiple points of view makes you not want to stop reading.
I was not a fan of how toxic these characters were. They were so terrible to each other, and the world of ice dancing in this book was full of people willing to sabotage each other in order to win.
If I had read the physical book, I think I would have quit before finishing. I read the audiobook though, and it was done so well that I decided to continue on with the story. The audiobook is full cast with different narrators chiming into the story throughout the whole book. This format made the book much more enjoyable.
Overall, this book wasn’t for me. However, if you enjoyed Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, I think you’ll love this book. They very much have the same vibes, and the author is a fan of Reid’s work.
Note: there is a lot of heavy themes throughout this book, so be aware that you may find some content triggering. Some things you could skip over, but toxic relationships are described throughout the whole book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Blood, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Death of parent, Pregnancy
Minor: Cancer, Outing