Take a photo of a barcode or cover
1.54k reviews by:
booksarethenewblack
When I heard that this was a retelling of, The Little Mermaid, I had to have it. I actually got it from the Library. I also read another retelling Sea Witch by Sarah Henning
It's dark, brutal and yet has a lot of humor. Lira is a siren princess, daughter of the Sea Queen. She's known as Princes' Bane because of all the princes, whose hearts she's ripped from their chests. One day, she disobeys her mother and she is punished by being turned into a human. She is picked up by Elian and his ship. Elian is a prince, who would rather be a pirate. His main goal is to kill all the sirens to make the world a safer place. These two have to work together, both trying to kill each other. Although, Elian has no idea who Lira really is.
I loved the witty banter between Lira and Elian!! It was just so much fun and made me love both of these characters. Their love is a slow burn and not an "insta-love," which I adored. This book is not heavy on the romance.
I really liked Lira. She was dark and brutal at the beginning of the story. As she's spending more time with the humans, she's finding her humanity that's still there. She starts to realize that she wasn't born straight up evil, she was made that way, by her mother. She starts to see how her mother is not good for the world or the sirens. She really does a lot of growing, yet she's still not your typical princess. Her banter with all the humans, not just Elian was just so funny. It added a much-needed lightness to this dark fantasy!
Elian was just awesome! He's cocky and knows what he wants. I was really impressed how he was able to work people, to get what he wants. Yet, making them think it's what they wanted. I loved his relationship with his crew too. Although, some of my favorite times would be his one-liners to Lira.
This is a shorter book and a relatively fast read. I had a lot going on, so it took me a while to get through. One thing I didn't like was how she ended this book. First of all, I had like 70 pages left and was wondering how she was going to wrap this up. It was a really quick wrap up, really. I would have liked more of a developed ending.
Overall, this is a great book. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters. I might be biased though, I love anything with mermaids/sirens! haha. Seriously though, the characters alone are a great reason to read this book!
You can see my review here: Books Are The New Black
It's dark, brutal and yet has a lot of humor. Lira is a siren princess, daughter of the Sea Queen. She's known as Princes' Bane because of all the princes, whose hearts she's ripped from their chests. One day, she disobeys her mother and she is punished by being turned into a human. She is picked up by Elian and his ship. Elian is a prince, who would rather be a pirate. His main goal is to kill all the sirens to make the world a safer place. These two have to work together, both trying to kill each other. Although, Elian has no idea who Lira really is.
I loved the witty banter between Lira and Elian!! It was just so much fun and made me love both of these characters. Their love is a slow burn and not an "insta-love," which I adored. This book is not heavy on the romance.
I really liked Lira. She was dark and brutal at the beginning of the story. As she's spending more time with the humans, she's finding her humanity that's still there. She starts to realize that she wasn't born straight up evil, she was made that way, by her mother. She starts to see how her mother is not good for the world or the sirens. She really does a lot of growing, yet she's still not your typical princess. Her banter with all the humans, not just Elian was just so funny. It added a much-needed lightness to this dark fantasy!
Elian was just awesome! He's cocky and knows what he wants. I was really impressed how he was able to work people, to get what he wants. Yet, making them think it's what they wanted. I loved his relationship with his crew too. Although, some of my favorite times would be his one-liners to Lira.
This is a shorter book and a relatively fast read. I had a lot going on, so it took me a while to get through. One thing I didn't like was how she ended this book. First of all, I had like 70 pages left and was wondering how she was going to wrap this up. It was a really quick wrap up, really. I would have liked more of a developed ending.
Overall, this is a great book. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters. I might be biased though, I love anything with mermaids/sirens! haha. Seriously though, the characters alone are a great reason to read this book!
You can see my review here: Books Are The New Black
4.5 stars
I liked this book much better than the first book. It might be because the Siren aspect was much more prevalent in this book.
In this book, Alosa has copies of the map and is on the hunt for the world's biggest treasure, where the sirens reside. Not only that she's made an enemy and is on the run. I'm trying not to add any spoilers but it's really hard.
In this book, I loved some of the characters on her crew, SO MUCH. All the women were so kick@$$. I do wish that we got to know them all a little better. Besides their interactions with Alosa, we don't really know much more than their personality traits. I really would be interested in reading more about them! She will do anything for them. Alosa, is tough and she can be very brutal but she will do anything for anyone she cares about. Her depth of love and respect for her crew is so inspiring.
Unlike the first book, I loved Alosa and Riden's romance in this book. It was slow and they really got to know each other better. The tension between them is just off the charts. I really loved Riden's character and how much he just molded into the crew. He's good and so kind. He got along with everyone on that crew!
The action is really non-stop in this book. I had issues with a lot of just stagnant moments in the previous book. I felt like it went nowhere for chapters on end. Not this book. They are on a constant adventure and it's a wild ride. Once I got immersed into the story, about 25 pages in, I couldn't put it down!
I really enjoyed this book! I was hesitant because I had my issues with the first book. After many people telling me they loved it, I jumped into it. I'm so glad I did! It was fun and enjoyable.
You can see my review here: Books Are The New Black
I liked this book much better than the first book. It might be because the Siren aspect was much more prevalent in this book.
In this book, Alosa has copies of the map and is on the hunt for the world's biggest treasure, where the sirens reside. Not only that she's made an enemy and is on the run. I'm trying not to add any spoilers but it's really hard.
In this book, I loved some of the characters on her crew, SO MUCH. All the women were so kick@$$. I do wish that we got to know them all a little better. Besides their interactions with Alosa, we don't really know much more than their personality traits. I really would be interested in reading more about them! She will do anything for them. Alosa, is tough and she can be very brutal but she will do anything for anyone she cares about. Her depth of love and respect for her crew is so inspiring.
Unlike the first book, I loved Alosa and Riden's romance in this book. It was slow and they really got to know each other better. The tension between them is just off the charts. I really loved Riden's character and how much he just molded into the crew. He's good and so kind. He got along with everyone on that crew!
The action is really non-stop in this book. I had issues with a lot of just stagnant moments in the previous book. I felt like it went nowhere for chapters on end. Not this book. They are on a constant adventure and it's a wild ride. Once I got immersed into the story, about 25 pages in, I couldn't put it down!
I really enjoyed this book! I was hesitant because I had my issues with the first book. After many people telling me they loved it, I jumped into it. I'm so glad I did! It was fun and enjoyable.
You can see my review here: Books Are The New Black
4.5 stars
I loved this book SO much!! I wanted to read this based on a bunch of booktubers recommendations. It’s got a lot of elements from Cinderella. The Magic pumpkin might be one of my favorite things! Haha. Okay, not really but it comes close.
I loved the characters so much, besides most of the adults. Oh, how the my heart just hurt for Elle. She’s trying so hard to live this life that she’s not welcome in. Her stepmother and step sisters are awful to her. She’s basically like a modern-day Cinderella. Her escape is the fandom of Starfield and her blog. It’s something that she had in common with her mother and father. One day, she gets a call from an unknown number and things start to get interesting for Elle.
I have to say that my absolute favorite character in this book is Sage. She was so much fun with her don’t care attitude. She does so much for Elle and it made me so happy! It literally brings a smile to my face. I think that her snarky attitude really does help Elle come out of her shell a bit. I devoured this book. It was just so tense at times and I just had to know what would happen. If you know the story of Cinderella, you know what’s coming. It had me so nervous because I knew what to expect. This book is really predictable but that’s because I know the story so well. It didn’t really take too much away from me though.
I really liked the whole Elle and Darien relationship, besides the fact, it turns to love rather quickly. I’m not surprised though, it is YA. I loved getting the two POV’s between Elle and Darien. We get to see how he’s struggling between what people want him to be and who he wants to be. How people judge him based on his actor persona and no one really knows him. You shouldn’t judge someone by their cover. This is something that Elle really learns and I hope the people who read this book do too.
I loved all the “geeky-ness” to this book. It just made it so fun and adorable! I wish so many more people would see how fun it is to be a geek! Who cares if you stand out? Who cares what other people thing, if you are having fun! There is nothing wrong with being a geek, nerd, weird, different or whatever.
This is just a really cute romance and I enjoyed this book immensely!! It’s sweet and adorable 🙂
e-ARC provided by Quirk Books/ Random House via Netgalley/Edelweiss + for an honest review.
You can see my review here: Books Are The New Black
I loved this book SO much!! I wanted to read this based on a bunch of booktubers recommendations. It’s got a lot of elements from Cinderella. The Magic pumpkin might be one of my favorite things! Haha. Okay, not really but it comes close.
I loved the characters so much, besides most of the adults. Oh, how the my heart just hurt for Elle. She’s trying so hard to live this life that she’s not welcome in. Her stepmother and step sisters are awful to her. She’s basically like a modern-day Cinderella. Her escape is the fandom of Starfield and her blog. It’s something that she had in common with her mother and father. One day, she gets a call from an unknown number and things start to get interesting for Elle.
I have to say that my absolute favorite character in this book is Sage. She was so much fun with her don’t care attitude. She does so much for Elle and it made me so happy! It literally brings a smile to my face. I think that her snarky attitude really does help Elle come out of her shell a bit. I devoured this book. It was just so tense at times and I just had to know what would happen. If you know the story of Cinderella, you know what’s coming. It had me so nervous because I knew what to expect. This book is really predictable but that’s because I know the story so well. It didn’t really take too much away from me though.
I really liked the whole Elle and Darien relationship, besides the fact, it turns to love rather quickly. I’m not surprised though, it is YA. I loved getting the two POV’s between Elle and Darien. We get to see how he’s struggling between what people want him to be and who he wants to be. How people judge him based on his actor persona and no one really knows him. You shouldn’t judge someone by their cover. This is something that Elle really learns and I hope the people who read this book do too.
I loved all the “geeky-ness” to this book. It just made it so fun and adorable! I wish so many more people would see how fun it is to be a geek! Who cares if you stand out? Who cares what other people thing, if you are having fun! There is nothing wrong with being a geek, nerd, weird, different or whatever.
This is just a really cute romance and I enjoyed this book immensely!! It’s sweet and adorable 🙂
e-ARC provided by Quirk Books/ Random House via Netgalley/Edelweiss + for an honest review.
You can see my review here: Books Are The New Black
I had some trouble getting this to download on my computer. Then I tried my phone and it worked but it was small.
This is such a cute book!! If I had kids, I would buy it! I might still do it. The art is just amazing and probably my favorite thing about this book. I think kids would really enjoy this book. The one thing that I didn't like as much was that because they were inserting snippets of a several well known authors, the writing was a little inconsistent. I loved the additions at the end of the book though.
Thank you to the publisher, VanitaBooks, LLC for a PDF of this book!
This is such a cute book!! If I had kids, I would buy it! I might still do it. The art is just amazing and probably my favorite thing about this book. I think kids would really enjoy this book. The one thing that I didn't like as much was that because they were inserting snippets of a several well known authors, the writing was a little inconsistent. I loved the additions at the end of the book though.
Thank you to the publisher, VanitaBooks, LLC for a PDF of this book!
4.5 stars When are you going to have 1/2 stars Goodreads!?!
Okay, why on earth have I not heard more about this book?! Reading some of the reviews, I get it.. It’s dark and can be depressing but it’s brilliantly done.
I usually do my own summaries but I’m going with Goodreads on this one. I don’t even know how to explain this one. My head space is crazy.
I loved this book so much. I had a plan to actually do some adulting today. I was like, I’ll only read 100 pages today and then be on my way. 100 pages in… okay, I’m about half way and this story is just gone crazy. Maybe 50 more pages. I didn’t stop until I finished it. No regrets.
There are some dark topics in here. So, beware of that going in. I’m talking sexual assault, emotional abuse, and violence. It can get brutal and hard to take.
The characters in this book are amazing. Shalia is strong and caring. Not only that, she never lets her beliefs go. She’s thrust into the center of a dangerous game and place. Yet, she earns the love and respect of those around her. Well, except for the villain. Oh gosh. He was horrible and quite terrifying. Still… she’s amazing and she will not break. I love how everyone sees her soft and sweet but in the end she is so much stronger for it.
“I am a daughter of the desert, and my feet will never fail me.”
The plot doesn’t really pick up until about the middle of the book. I think in this case, it’s totally okay. We are really getting to know these characters beforehand and that really helps us throughout the rest of the story, especially about Shalia. I think that the world building was really good BUT I really want to know more about the Elementae and the history. I think that’s what’s going to happen in the next book though. We get some more info at the end that really will open up this world more.
This book is emotional and heartbreaking. I’m not going to lie. I was very upset with some of the things, but I think it just makes Shalia all the stronger, in the end. It’s also something that a lot of people go through. I’m glad that [a:A.C. Gaughen|4573275|A.C. Gaughen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1504661187p2/4573275.jpg] does not romanticize it at all.
“True power does not force others to make themselves smaller.”
^^^YES^^^
You can see my review here: Books Are The New Black
Okay, why on earth have I not heard more about this book?! Reading some of the reviews, I get it.. It’s dark and can be depressing but it’s brilliantly done.
I usually do my own summaries but I’m going with Goodreads on this one. I don’t even know how to explain this one. My head space is crazy.
I loved this book so much. I had a plan to actually do some adulting today. I was like, I’ll only read 100 pages today and then be on my way. 100 pages in… okay, I’m about half way and this story is just gone crazy. Maybe 50 more pages. I didn’t stop until I finished it. No regrets.
There are some dark topics in here. So, beware of that going in. I’m talking sexual assault, emotional abuse, and violence. It can get brutal and hard to take.
The characters in this book are amazing. Shalia is strong and caring. Not only that, she never lets her beliefs go. She’s thrust into the center of a dangerous game and place. Yet, she earns the love and respect of those around her. Well, except for the villain. Oh gosh. He was horrible and quite terrifying. Still… she’s amazing and she will not break. I love how everyone sees her soft and sweet but in the end she is so much stronger for it.
“I am a daughter of the desert, and my feet will never fail me.”
The plot doesn’t really pick up until about the middle of the book. I think in this case, it’s totally okay. We are really getting to know these characters beforehand and that really helps us throughout the rest of the story, especially about Shalia. I think that the world building was really good BUT I really want to know more about the Elementae and the history. I think that’s what’s going to happen in the next book though. We get some more info at the end that really will open up this world more.
This book is emotional and heartbreaking. I’m not going to lie. I was very upset with some of the things, but I think it just makes Shalia all the stronger, in the end. It’s also something that a lot of people go through. I’m glad that [a:A.C. Gaughen|4573275|A.C. Gaughen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1504661187p2/4573275.jpg] does not romanticize it at all.
“True power does not force others to make themselves smaller.”
^^^YES^^^
You can see my review here: Books Are The New Black
This is a book on my #buzzwordAthon readathon list this week! The buzz word is Girl. I've had this book on my shelf for probably 5 years. I love this "buzz word" challenge because it forces me to read books that I have on my shelf!
Anyways, I was a little confused at times by this book. There are multiple points of view throughout the book but there's no warning. I would be reading a chapter and then suddenly I'm reading someone else's POV in the same chapter. It really slowed my reading and this is a decently short book. I did like that I got to read about so many POV's but I wish there was some separation there. I did really enjoy many of the characters but some of the romance stuff was a little much for my taste. Almost too corny, at times.
My biggest complaint with this one is that she leads up to all these secrets in this town. I'm so excited to learn about them all and I'm almost finished with the book. She reveals it when she's wrapping things up. All that build up for nothing? I wanted a lot more about this magic and I didn't get that. This is mostly a romance story with a touch of magic realism.
It was a cute story but I was a little disappointed in it. It has a beautiful cover and it had so much potential. I think that it was a little too short and being a longer book would have helped the story develop a lot more!
Books Are The New Black
Anyways, I was a little confused at times by this book. There are multiple points of view throughout the book but there's no warning. I would be reading a chapter and then suddenly I'm reading someone else's POV in the same chapter. It really slowed my reading and this is a decently short book. I did like that I got to read about so many POV's but I wish there was some separation there. I did really enjoy many of the characters but some of the romance stuff was a little much for my taste. Almost too corny, at times.
My biggest complaint with this one is that she leads up to all these secrets in this town. I'm so excited to learn about them all and I'm almost finished with the book. She reveals it when she's wrapping things up. All that build up for nothing? I wanted a lot more about this magic and I didn't get that. This is mostly a romance story with a touch of magic realism.
It was a cute story but I was a little disappointed in it. It has a beautiful cover and it had so much potential. I think that it was a little too short and being a longer book would have helped the story develop a lot more!
Books Are The New Black
I enjoy this series so much! I think that Kevin Kwan has such a unique way of writing. These books are like a soap opera of the extravagant rich.
You have to take it for what it is, relax and just enjoy the drama. His books are so much fun. Even though, there's A LOT of descriptions about the way these extremely rich people live, it's entertaining. Sometimes, it can be a little much and the reason that I knocked off a star.
Astrid is by far, my favorite character. I think she's the most levelheaded of her family and of the series. She's super rich and she loves her fancy things but she's also more about love and family. She doesn't think twice about accepting Rachel and does what she can for them. She's sweet and she's so much fun. I'm not really sure how I feel about her relationship with Michael. I know that I don't want her with him but at the same time, I miss the old Michael. I guess, we will have to see what happens next for them.
Nick and Rachel are my second favorite and it's probably because they are the most "normal." I'm grouping them together and I don't care. They are together and I love their relationship. I was expecting to get to their story a lot quicker than we actually did. I'm really hoping that things really slow down for them and they can just be happy. Their life has been crazy in the last two books!
Overall, I really enjoyed this story! We get a lot more characters in this book and it was a really fun ride. I'm really invested in these characters. I know that it can be silly and really a guilty pleasure but it's a great one! These are long books. They are packed full of information. They can become a slow read because of that. There's pages and pages with no dialogue, as the author is explaining the rich etiquette or something about the "rich life." I can't wait to get my hands on the next book!!
You can see my review here: Books Are The New Black
You have to take it for what it is, relax and just enjoy the drama. His books are so much fun. Even though, there's A LOT of descriptions about the way these extremely rich people live, it's entertaining. Sometimes, it can be a little much and the reason that I knocked off a star.
Astrid is by far, my favorite character. I think she's the most levelheaded of her family and of the series. She's super rich and she loves her fancy things but she's also more about love and family. She doesn't think twice about accepting Rachel and does what she can for them. She's sweet and she's so much fun. I'm not really sure how I feel about her relationship with Michael. I know that I don't want her with him but at the same time, I miss the old Michael. I guess, we will have to see what happens next for them.
Nick and Rachel are my second favorite and it's probably because they are the most "normal." I'm grouping them together and I don't care. They are together and I love their relationship. I was expecting to get to their story a lot quicker than we actually did. I'm really hoping that things really slow down for them and they can just be happy. Their life has been crazy in the last two books!
Overall, I really enjoyed this story! We get a lot more characters in this book and it was a really fun ride. I'm really invested in these characters. I know that it can be silly and really a guilty pleasure but it's a great one! These are long books. They are packed full of information. They can become a slow read because of that. There's pages and pages with no dialogue, as the author is explaining the rich etiquette or something about the "rich life." I can't wait to get my hands on the next book!!
You can see my review here: Books Are The New Black
This is such a good idea. Thanks to negalley for letting me look at this book. Now, I really want to get this book for myself because you really can't use it with the PDF option. Basically, you just get to check it out. There's a lot of great ideas in this book, even if you are beginner or expert. I love the prompts and the stickers, really cute. I wish there was a little more space so those of us who want to, can draw in some of our own things. Not a big deal though. Great book!