cozyhosie's Reviews (365)

I love this series. The characters are relatable and lovable, the setting is realistic and fun, and it's a perfect read for anyone looking for a good cozy mystery with connecting plot elements.

I wanted so badly to love this book. However, I did not. At the beginning, it felt jumpy and disjointed when going between different perspectives and settings. The characters never really felt relatable. I was not concerned for the welfare of any of the characters and the stakes, while high for the characters, never really felt that way for me. I was never really able to find a character to root for and therefore was unable to find myself caring about any of them. The overall story was good, but some events came and went so quickly I found myself wondering why so much store was put in them in the world of the book. It's good, but not great.

Prince Harry was bluntly honest in this book, about his mother's death and his personal fallout from it, about his relationship with his family (hint: they're not the bad guys), and about his relationship with media. The overall sense I get from the book is that he felt thrown to the wolves (media) and not fully protected the way he felt he should have been, as a child, as a teen, and as an adult. There were parts that made me laugh out loud and parts that made me cry. Prince Harry also details his own personal struggles with his PTSD and mental health and how he ultimately learned to manage those struggles. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for some more insight into how media can provide misinformation to the public as well as how it can affect the lives of people we might see as just celebrities when, in fact, they are also real people.

I thought this would be a 5 star read for me, and while it was very good, it wasn't quite a 5 star. I loved Vasya and her family as characters and I loved learning about the different creatures from Russian folklore. However, the pace was a little too slow for me at times and it took me a while to get through. I will continue reading the series because I enjoyed the book.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The characters were likable and felt real. Some things did feel slightly exaggerated, like Emerson's extreme independence and determination not to rely on anyone else. It also felt slightly preachy at times with regards to feminism and women's empowerment. There were also some questionable language choices ("awkward AF"? really?). However, I did enjoy the story nd the world the authors built. I plan on continuing to read this series.

This book kept me interested the whole time I was reading. I never wanted to stop reading because I was so enthralled with this story.