Wow! I was not expecting the emotional toll this book would take. I went into this book mostly blinded by the awesome cover. I’m actually a little shocked this is a debut. I looked her up because I wanted to see what else she had out there that I could get my hands on!

This is the type of book that you have to read in the right mood. I’m saying this because it’s heavy. There’s such a toxic relationship but also a lot of really heavy topics. There’s a lot of mental health in this book, which I appreciate. I will always love books that shine a light on mental health, as a psychology major. It’s just so important.

Adelaide has not had an easy life. In fact, her mother and sisters all suffer from some form of mental illness. Her one sister has bipolar disorder that really took a lot out of the whole family. It’s never easy but she always made herself shrink into herself or the background to stay out of the way. This is where her problems start. When they say that your childhood is essential to your mental health in adulthood, they are not lying.

She’s also got several instances where she’s just been abused or taken advantage of. She’s struggling to find herself and then starts to just act the completely opposite. Instead of being afraid of men, she starts to chase after them. Regardless, she doesn’t think much of herself and that’s a problem when she meets Rory. I will say now, this isn’t really a love story. Their relationship is so toxic and hard to read about. This book gets really raw and pushes your comfort zone. Yet, I could not put this down. I started it and finished it the next day.

The mental health aspect is one that’s really explored, in many ways. She really doesn’t shy away from it and shines a light on it. There are some things I was not expecting but now make so much sense. I do wish that we would have spent a little less time with Rory and more time on her journey afterwards.

Overall, I loved what this book offered. It was addicting but hard to read at the same time. If you struggle with any of the things I’ve mentioned before, this might not be for you. This is not a love story or romance in any way. There’s some really controversial statements, as well. I might be a bit biased based on my psychology degree but I think it was a really emotional and inspiring story about Adelaide’s journey. I do think it could be a very polarizing book.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

 You can see all my reviews here: Books Are The New Black

Oof. This one hurts a little bit. I buddy-read this with Julie and Dini. We all kind of had some similar thoughts. I just don’t think this was the book for me or my age.

First, I’ll start with what I did like…

I really love the cover. LOL. I mean it’s pretty great and inviting. I also really enjoyed all the food and culture. It’s packed full of culture. Dylan was kind of teaching Theo about his culture but helping us understand too. A couple of times, it turned into “info-dumps.”Another thing that I really enjoyed was Dylan’s family! His cousin Meg was hilarious and I would probably consider reading a book about her.

The beginning and middle of this book were the hardest parts to get through. It does get a little better towards the end but there are several things I struggled with throughout this book. There are a lot of cringe moments between Dylan and Theo. I don’t really want to get into specifics because I don’t want to give spoilers away. Most of these moments came when it had to do with the differences in their social status or in sexual aspects. I almost felt like Theo didn’t take Dylan’s feelings into consideration and he kind of steamrolled him into whatever he wanted. It was almost like he was trying to change him and I was not about that.

The writing was also hard to get through in this book. While this is a rather quick read, the writing was all over the place. There are a lot of choppy sentences and dialogue that really took me out of my flow. The pacing is off and I felt like the last bit of the book was really rushed to get it to come together.

Overall, It was just not the book for me. The family aspect, culture, and food are the best parts. I’m not kidding, I was constantly hungry while reading this book!!

Many thanks to Underlined and Netgalley for an e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

 

I was lucky enough to buddy-read this with Dini and Julie. I always love when we receive the same arcs and can discuss our thoughts as we go. There were a lot of thoughts on this one!

This is a retelling of King Arthur and the legends that go with him. I felt like it was a very unique take on it and really enjoyed it. Sometimes it can feel like the retelling doesn’t have much imagination and that’s not the case here. I think that Bracken chose a very cool aspect to run with. With that being said, there were a lot of issues with world-building. From the very beginning, we get thrown into this magical world with no explanations. It made it difficult to follow along so I started to just ignore my questions/concerns. There are many instances that we were confused or had to see if the other person found any clarity. It makes the pacing of the book slow down a bit too.

Although, there are a ton of issues with the world-building the characters and their relationships are amazing. They really make this book and it becomes hard to stop reading. There’s one gripe that I have with the MC, Tamsin, and it’s that she is so cynical. She’s extremely rude to everyone around her. While I understand that it’s a coping mechanism, it’s hard to keep reading repeatedly. I felt bad for all those around her and she didn’t seem to care. She took it on as a personality trait like it was a valid piece of armor. I did love the relationship she had with her brother, Cabell. They are against the world and there’s nothing like your found family. Emry is Tamsin’s love interest and he’s my favorite thing about this book! He brings a lot of humor and really starts to bring Tamsin out of her shell. There’s a lot going on with him that I would love to dive into more. Mabe a novella or something because there’s so much there we don’t get experience.

The supporting characters in this book really make a huge impact too. Since you don’t really know what is going on and who is the “bad guy” you question everyone. Throughout the book, you really start to fall for them and really hope it’s not them.

Overall, the characters and relationships saved this book. The world-building, pacing, and all the unanswered questions, in the end, leave you wanting more. I’m still planning on reading the second book because I need to know what happens.

Many thanks to Knopf Books for Young Readers & Netgalely for an arc to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own! 

 You can see all my reviews here: Books Are The New Black

I was shocked when I was approved for this ARC. Thank you so much to Berkley for an e-arc!! I also want to thank Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Veronica Speedwell series. I’ve read books 2-8 in the last two months and I have really enjoyed them. Veronica and Stoker are such a fun duo and they are why I keep going. The mysteries and adventures are also a great aspect of the series but in this book, it was a little calmer than normal. I don’t think it was as intense and dangerous as they normally are.

With that being said, I think that the growth with Veronica was done well. She has to face a lot of her past in the previous book, An Impossible Imposter, and it was not easy. She’s not on the best terms with Stoker for most of this book. I think it was smart of Stoker to make her think and face what their relationship means to her.

I loved seeing Tiberius make a comeback in this one! He is such a breath of fresh air and the banter is great. I do think I missed some of the normal banter in the second half of the book. I love that he and Stoker are starting to get along and treat each other like family. These characters have come a long way. It’s really hard to do an in-depth review of the 8th book in a series without spoilers.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with Veronica and Stoker! This installment was less intense and thrilling than some of her previous books. I loved having Tiberius back and I think Veronica had a lot of important growth. J.J. was also a great addition and I’m glad to see that Veronica might be opening up to others more. I can’t wait for the next adventure! Excelsior! 

 

I was so excited to read this book because the cover is gorgeous! haha! I will always pick books by their covers, and I don't deny that. Regardless, it was a great pick. I really enjoyed this fantasy! 

One of the early feelings I had was that there would be a love triangle. There are definitely aspects of that going on but the actual romance in this book is not the main focus. It's so low key that I didn't even mind it. Although, I hope we don't end up with a love triangle in the next book. It's my least favorite trope! 

There's a lot going on here. We have a lot of magical elements, gods, revenants, necromancers, royalty, and drug runners. Sometimes I think there was a little too much going on and some of the world-building was lost to me. There's a lot of interesting aspects but I wish there were more details and explanations for some things. There's a lot of talk about the gods and I wanted more of that. I think that's something that could be explored in book two. 

Lore, Bastien, and Gabe are all such interesting characters. They have all grown up so differently and are in such varied places in life. It was so fun to see these three working together. I think there's a lot of things that were hinted at and we didn't get clarity. I'm hoping for that to come out in book two! I feel bad for all three of them. They all got dealt some bad hands and suffered in their own ways. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this one! There are some cool fantastical elements that I cannot wait to see explored further. I also can't wait to see what happens to these characters that I fell in love with. The pacing was a little off at the beginning, but it picked up in the end and I had a hard time putting it down. I'm looking forward to book two! 

 

I was a bit nervous with this one because sometimes the second book in the series can be well, not great. Honestly, I thought this was an improvement to book one! I think the characters grew leaps and bounds in this one and it was really great to see. This is a women-focused MC book and they are awesome. I love them all and think that their voices are so distinct. Sometimes I struggled in book one because there is no notice of a change in the character POV. Sometimes it happens a paragraph later and you are left a bit confused. In this book, their voices are so much easier to distinguish. 

I was not the biggest fan of Luca in the first book. She came off as pretty ridiculous and very un-caring at times. I'm glad to say that she has finally grown on me in this book. I'm not sure if it's because she's in her place and fighting her people inside the walls that made her more interesting. Regardless, I think the character growth in this book was huge. It has me excited to see where she will go in the next book. 

Touraine was a huge improvement in this book! She was so focused on one thing that she couldn't see the bigger picture. She was also naïve that it drove me crazy. She grew into a force to be reconned with and I was here for it. I was waiting for her to become the person that everyone around her sees. I will say that I needed many more chapters of Pruett though. She might be one of my favorite voices in this book and we don't get enough. I think she's set herself up for a great book 3 though. 

My biggest issue with this one is that the plot doesn't move much. It's more character-focused, which isn't a bad thing. With this being full of politics that can happen but I wanted a little more with the size of this book. It made the pacing a bit slower and feesl like a lot of setup for book three. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this one, even better than book one. I thought the romance was developed much better throughout this one. Sometimes a slow-burn romance just hits better! As I mentioned before, this more of a character focused book but that's okay because the growth is worth it. I am looking forward to book three and seeing where these ladies end up! 

Many thanks to Orbit Books for an arc to review! All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

 

I went into this book blind and requested it just off the cover itself. I am so glad I did because it totally paid off. Although, this is an adult fiction it does read a little YA. It could be just because of her age and it’s a coming-of-age story. It does have some YA vibes and it’s not as dark as I thought it would be.

The characters in this story are what really makes this book. I adored Biddy and how she was so inexperienced but knew the injustices of the world. She does a lot of growing up throughout this book and finds out who she is/wants to be. Hutch might have been my favorite of the group. He’s Rowan’s familiar and mostly hangs out in his rabbit form. His relationship with Biddy and Rowan is so different but each very special.

Another thing that I really enjoyed about this story was Perry’s writing. It was so beautifully written, and I was hooked from the beginning. I was expecting this to be a little darker than it was. It gave off some cozy vibes and there’s nothing wrong with that! I really appreciate how much Perry loves stories because there are several characters and books quoted throughout this one.

If you are looking for a historical fantasy with a found family trope, this is one I think you will like. The magical elements were very sweet and intriguing (except for the villains- those were scary). There are a few things that I didn’t love in the end and why it knocked it down to 4 stars for me. Overall, this was such an enjoyable read!

Many thanks to Orbit Books for an ARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own! 

I was a big fan of Swan's first book, The Justice of Kings. In this book, we start just where we left off. The gang is traveling to the city of Sova. When they get there things quickly get out of hand and instead of just a drop in and out, they become stuck in the middle of a political war. 

I want to get the main negative I had about this book. I say that like it's a big deal but it's really a small thing. I struggled to get into this book for about 35% of it. The pacing was really slow and some of the main things happening did not feel all that relevant. For example, the mission to find the Prince. It just felt like added pages and we don't see any results until almost the end. It was also the weakest plot point that I figured out rather quickly. 

One of the best things about this series is the characters. While. Vonvalt is technically the main character, it's narrated by Helena. She's working with him to maybe become a Justine, she's still on the fence about that. Helena made insane character growth in this book. She's struggling with right and wrong, what she's learned from Vonvalt about Justice and the law. Meanwhile, she's starting to see sides of Vonvalt that contradict some of his past actions and behaviors. Especially, when she learns about some of Vonvalt's history. She goes through a lot in this book and it was something that I loved about this sequel. The relationships between Helena, Vonvalt, Dubine, and Radomir are hard not to love. They are all so independent and a rag-tag group but they care deeply for each other. They all add something refreshing to the story. 

Keep in mind that there are a lot of brutal and terrifying scenes in this book. I was not prepared for some of the demons/magical beings' descriptions. In fact I had a nightmare about the main one in this book! I blame the pregnancy for that one. haha Swan has done an impeccable job creating a truly terrifying and almost impossible-to-defeat, villain. 

Overall, I thought this was a great sequel. There is a slight pacing issue but the last half is amazing and full of so much action. There are so many things going on and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book. I did not make it out of this book unscathed and that's all I will say about that. The character development for all of them was impressive too. It will be a long wait for book three!!