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bookwyrm25's Reviews (219)
4.5/5 spice for sure, but some parts were just a bit much for me. Not the spicy scenes, those were all amazing, but the other characters were not quite fleshed out enough.
Overall, really great book and I’d re-read for the spicy scenes but I’d skip through the rest of the book to get to them.
Overall, really great book and I’d re-read for the spicy scenes but I’d skip through the rest of the book to get to them.
I finished the main story but did not read the extra story printed in the copy. Long story short, this book does not age well.
My main issues are with the main character herself.
Hannah is extremely judgmental of others appearances and lives (calls an overweight woman in a stripped dress a circus tent in one case and also calls her sister a “part time mom” because her sister has a job and hires people to help her clean the house… like we all wouldn’t if we had the money), she is feeding her cat to death (25 lbs and she doesn’t think that third bowl of kibble and a saucer of cream is too much for him?), and gives way too much detail on things that don’t involve the case or anything relevant in her dialogue.
Not to mention, she LITERALLY BURNS AND STEALS EVIDENCE FROM LITERAL CRIME SCENES AND IS NOT ARRESTED FOR IT, is never seen as a suspect though she’s always finding more bodies before the cops because she breaks into peoples homes and businesses, and doesn’t get arrested for breaking an entering all because she’s the cops sister in law.
Also, for someone constantly saying how she’s happy to be alone (like she says this a LOT) she thinks about dating the entire book. We get it. You want to be loved and be with someone but want to seem “cool” by saying you’re ok being single.
I really wanted to like this book because the premise seemed so cute and promising… but all I got was a poorly written character and motives for murder that don’t make tons of sense. Sadly I will not be continuing the series.
My main issues are with the main character herself.
Hannah is extremely judgmental of others appearances and lives (calls an overweight woman in a stripped dress a circus tent in one case and also calls her sister a “part time mom” because her sister has a job and hires people to help her clean the house… like we all wouldn’t if we had the money), she is feeding her cat to death (25 lbs and she doesn’t think that third bowl of kibble and a saucer of cream is too much for him?), and gives way too much detail on things that don’t involve the case or anything relevant in her dialogue.
Not to mention, she LITERALLY BURNS AND STEALS EVIDENCE FROM LITERAL CRIME SCENES AND IS NOT ARRESTED FOR IT, is never seen as a suspect though she’s always finding more bodies before the cops because she breaks into peoples homes and businesses, and doesn’t get arrested for breaking an entering all because she’s the cops sister in law.
Also, for someone constantly saying how she’s happy to be alone (like she says this a LOT) she thinks about dating the entire book. We get it. You want to be loved and be with someone but want to seem “cool” by saying you’re ok being single.
I really wanted to like this book because the premise seemed so cute and promising… but all I got was a poorly written character and motives for murder that don’t make tons of sense. Sadly I will not be continuing the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Misogyny
EDIT: the more I think about it the more I feel the book is more in the cozy end because we are guaranteed (guaran-tea-d if you will) a happy ending. 4.5 stars, one of the cutest couples EVER. Will excitedly read the 2nd installment asap.
*original review, no spoilers*
NOT really a cozy fantasy… but? It was cozy enough that the slow parts made me feel warm and fuzzy.
The only reason I’m not giving this five stars is because it was advertised as cozy fantasy and was not. This was far too high stakes throughout the entire book to be considered as such.
Still, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to the second one. The biggest issue I had with the book was the incorrect label of “cozy” fantasy but the rest was fantastic as a normal fantasy with an ADORABLE wlw couple. The writing was smart, enticing, and at many points quite hilarious.
Overall very good fantasy book.
*original review, no spoilers*
NOT really a cozy fantasy… but? It was cozy enough that the slow parts made me feel warm and fuzzy.
The only reason I’m not giving this five stars is because it was advertised as cozy fantasy and was not. This was far too high stakes throughout the entire book to be considered as such.
Still, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to the second one. The biggest issue I had with the book was the incorrect label of “cozy” fantasy but the rest was fantastic as a normal fantasy with an ADORABLE wlw couple. The writing was smart, enticing, and at many points quite hilarious.
Overall very good fantasy book.
I was aware of the triggers that were supposed to be in it, but I did discover those triggers are a bigger bother to me than I thought they would be for a short story like this.
I didn’t dislike it… but the bad parts like the triggering subjects give as much weight to my review as the hot/sweet parts. Vektal is an absolute sweetie other than some *oof* moments where he gave off “I am big man protector” vibes. I had to skip over some plot and I didn’t exactly love some of the aspects like…
*spoilers from this point on*
Did not like the forced pregnancy, sex trafficking themes, forced mating themes, etc. but Vektal was sweet despite everything. For the most part.
I didn’t dislike it… but the bad parts like the triggering subjects give as much weight to my review as the hot/sweet parts. Vektal is an absolute sweetie other than some *oof* moments where he gave off “I am big man protector” vibes. I had to skip over some plot and I didn’t exactly love some of the aspects like…
*spoilers from this point on*
Did not like the forced pregnancy, sex trafficking themes, forced mating themes, etc. but Vektal was sweet despite everything. For the most part.
1.5 stars… this makes me extremely bad because I’ve been listening to Alaina’s podcast for 5 years now and I love her SO much. However…
Wren is completely one dimensional with no personality whatsoever, and her past is thrown into the book towards the end of the middle as a plot device that had absolutely no lead up or foreshadowing. It felt extremely random almost. Every person written in this book, especially wrens poor friends and husband, are even worse written as they are just there for a couple sentences to progress the story then discarded. I forgot she was married at multiple points, and it only took me two days to read it.
And Jeremy. It makes no sense how he went from in control to not so much. No spoilers, but he’s pretty damn one demential also when he could have been used for better understanding of wrens past and foreshadowing for plot to come.
Not to mention parts of the plot feel dropped into place suddenly all through the book and the descriptions of little things from the scenes lacked making it feel more real and make it feel like a general description in a movie script that the actor was supposed to run with and make feel more real.
Overall, I wanted more. More fleshing out the characters and scenes, more descriptions, more flow to the plot.
I’m sorry morbid girlies
Wren is completely one dimensional with no personality whatsoever, and her past is thrown into the book towards the end of the middle as a plot device that had absolutely no lead up or foreshadowing. It felt extremely random almost. Every person written in this book, especially wrens poor friends and husband, are even worse written as they are just there for a couple sentences to progress the story then discarded. I forgot she was married at multiple points, and it only took me two days to read it.
And Jeremy. It makes no sense how he went from in control to not so much. No spoilers, but he’s pretty damn one demential also when he could have been used for better understanding of wrens past and foreshadowing for plot to come.
Not to mention parts of the plot feel dropped into place suddenly all through the book and the descriptions of little things from the scenes lacked making it feel more real and make it feel like a general description in a movie script that the actor was supposed to run with and make feel more real.
Overall, I wanted more. More fleshing out the characters and scenes, more descriptions, more flow to the plot.
I’m sorry morbid girlies
3.5/4 stars. I can’t quite decide because I do have to admit that I really hated both Tane and Niclays. And I wish the villain were fleshed out a bit more. Overall, super solid world building and I obsessed with Ead, Sabran, Margaret, and Loth. I do wish we learned a bit more about Margret and that the end battle lasted a bit longer.
Still I can’t wait for the prequel and eventually the second book.
Still I can’t wait for the prequel and eventually the second book.
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The not ending would have me rating this one star, but I refrained. I hated Christopher and don’t feel like he got what he deserved. I felt horrible for Hannah and her family and wished so much better for her. It’s three stars because it made me instinctively feel disgust and pity and rage. I just really wish there was an actual ending and maybe some justice for all the tragedy and ass-hattery that happened through the book.