bookswithlee's Reviews (669)

This was the best memoir I think I have ever read to date. The writing style was so lyrical and poetic and the formatting was so well done. It drew me in in such a way that I felt it was talking directly to my soul.

Intimidate partner violence is so real, but it’s often talked about in the context of heterosexual relationship. Getting the perspective from an individual who identifies as queer and more specifically a lesbian, isn’t something I’ve heard talked about enough. I want to commend this author for being so vulnerable and sharing her experience with us all. Thank you!

This is a book where you want to take your time and take in every single word. I will be rereading this book and recommending to others

TW: domestic violence, abuse, homophobia

I won't lie I was nervous to read book 2 in this series out of fear that I would be let down, but let me tell you, I'm glad that I did as I was drawn right back into this magical world from page one!

Beasts of Ruin picks up where the first book ended where we are following both Koffi and Ekon after Koffi has decided to sacrifice herself to save the lives of her loved ones. As readers, we follow the journeys of both of these characters with one additional point of view that brings us the perspective of the past, which connects us to the present.

Usually, I struggle with stories that have multiple POVs as I tend to favor one over the other, and I find myself wanting to skip through to get to the perspective that I enjoy more; however, I enjoyed all POVs in this book equally and found that each one added an additional layer that was necessary to move the story forward.

I also enjoyed the writing style as it was written in a way that made me feel as though I was within the world of the story. This also helped me to feel more connected to the characters and their struggles throughout the book.

The reason that this book is rated between 4-4.25 stars for me is that I found the middle of the story to drag on just a little too much for me. There were parts that lost my interest as I felt like the momentum of the story was lost.

However, it picked back up in the end, and the ending made my jaw drop (it ends on a cliffhanger).

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to continuing this series!


Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review

“Rage can fuel you. But grief gnaws at you slow, a termite nibbling at your soul until you're a whisper of what you used to be.”

[content warnings at bottom of review]

This book was beautiful, well written, and reflective. Although I think the content is important, I do want to add the disclaimer to check trigger warnings as many difficult topics were discussed.

I listened to the audiobook along with the ebook and I have to say that the audiobook was really good! Sometimes when I listen to books my mind will wander when the narrator has a very monotone voice, but the narrator for this book did a very good job that kept me engaged!


I loved the story as I saw myself in the words as well as the faces of many individuals I have served throughout my career. I read that it took the author 10 years to write this book, and it shows. You can tell that she put a lot of time into every detail of this story to really drive home important points. The characters were well developed (flaws and all). I also loved getting three different perspective, each of which I loved! This book will stay with me for years to come as I navigate my own situations of grief, loss, and forgiveness.

CW/TW: alcoholism, Islamophobia, racism, sexual assault, death of parent, drug abuse, terminal illness