buffyreads's Reviews (575)

He had always known that he had a tendency towards jealousy; now he was discovering just how deeply rooted it could be.

The Good
I enjoyed this new twist in this variation and I'm already a fan of Abigail Reynolds works. I usually don't like miscommunication tropes but this worked because Darcy and Elizabeth are both over-thinkers and presume things about other people so it works for them to pine for each other while misinterpret things each other is doing. This version of Darcy is very likable and his pining was amazing. I liked that the acknowledgment of their feelings for each other and their engagement was far apart allowing for more tension.

The Bad
This may be prudish of me but I don't like any type of sexual scenes in my Pride and Prejudice variations. I do concede that this was partly the point of this variation, Darcy's jealousy and undoing of his controlled nature but it wasn't doing a lot for me.

The Rating
I give this book 3/5

Highlights:
This has all the cute romance parts of 'Red' without the larger plot weighting it down. This was super cute read. I wish I read it around christmas.

Lowlights:
The same miscommunication is used here as was used in 'Red'. I want more books from this universe but I hope this same plot point isn't used as the main issue again.

Horn Level: 1/5

Highlights:
Bee is the best. I love how she manipulates the guards and her "boyfriend". Crulden/Victor and Bee's mind games were fun to watch. I loved the romance between them and how they grew together. I think these angry beast type heros who are kinda clueless are my favorite.

Lowlights:
I understood why the whole boyfriend plot was there but I wanted it addressed and ended earlier.

Horn Level: 5/5

“You are mine,” he whispered. “My angel of music, my savior and I will ruin you for all others."

Highlights:
The Phantom of the Opera is my favorite musical so the fact this is a reimagining of that story with a black female lead made me incredibly happy. I liked both Aria and Uriah. The slow build to their relationship felt natural and the chemistry was well written.

Lowlights:
The plot and magic was explained slowly but that was a benefit to the story as there was no boring exposition sections however it lead to so many things not being explained until the very last chapter which was a bummer. I wish the main lead was able to uncover more of the mystery herself.

Horn Level: 3/5

Her hair rippled and fell in cascades of thick crimson curls around her face. A hush fell.

The Good
The world building is really interesting. Since this was a retelling I didn't know what to expect but the lore and even the build of the aliens (Ragoru) was really good and interesting. Different parts of the fairy tale were reimagined in fun ways. The triad dynamics were interesting and none of the MMC's annoyed me. (One usually does in reverse harem but these men were well written)

The Bad
By act three I felt a bit bored. I think the FMC being kidnapped for the third time was pretty annoying and less climatic because again it had already happened two other times.

The Rating
I give this book a 3/5

She was this virus in my veins. A terminal illness. She was the reason I woke up. Why I killed. Every fucking thing I did, I did with the thought in my head that it was for her.

The Good
I absolutely love Claudia. She's defiant and brave but also not stupid or immature. Dmitry didn't make me cringe with the over the top possessiveness/obsession like I thought he would.

The Bad
I didn't like how much they emphasized on the school girl outfits fetish and the "you've been mine since you were exactly 18". Like we get it. He was not attracted to her at 15 but can we move past the weirdness of it. I also wish there had been more conflict and also that they had gotten to each other more or there was any type of development.

The Rating
I give this book a 3/5

She’s still so bland. I know there has to be fire inside her. She went through hell and back. I just need to be patient and figure out how to coax it out.

Highlights:
Iris being blind is a new element I haven't seen before in any of Dixon's books so far.

Lowlights:
What kind of terrible pun is naming the girl with her eyes carved out Iris? Like it was so ridiculous. I also didn't like Alyvos, he projected so much onto her and wanted her to her reaction to trauma to be like his.

Horn Level: 1/5

Highlights:
I found this concept so fun and interesting. The tone and writing style for such a strongly was perfect. Trillin was an interesting character. A lovecraftian horror that decided to become something different and falls for a inter-dimensional researcher named Sian. The pace was amazing. It was fast enough to keep me entertained but also took the time to explain the world and lore well

Lowlights:
I really wish this was longer so the world and relationships could be fleshed out more!

Format:
Ebook — Kindle Unlimited

The Rating
I give this book a 4/5