elliel_nook's Reviews (601)

 

Disclaimer: I requested this ARC and am leaving my review voluntarily 

Demonic Appetites: A Short Story Collection by E.N. Laurier contains four interconnected erotic tales. The stories are The King and the Demon, The Necklace and the Shapeshifter, The Toy and The Shut-In, and The Swordsman and the Curse. Each story follows a different human and demon pair. It was a dark, sweet, and spicy read. (Like dark chocolate with chili-flakes in it.) 

While writing this review I was listening to my go to playlist. And I found it quiet ironic that the first two songs were "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence ft. FLETCHER and "I Caught Fire" by the Used. They felt oddly fitting for the mental state this book left me in. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. 

I think my favorite stories were The Necklace and the Shapeshifter and The Swordsman and the Curse. I loved these stories because of their tropes and spicy scenes. (The spicy scene in The Swordsman and the Curse was my favorite. For reasons I'm keeping to myself.) Anyway, speaking of tropes I believe each story had its own tropes with some overlap. Some examples: friends to enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, and size difference. These are just my favorites that popped up in my mind when I think of this collection. I know there's more I'm forgetting. 

However, the tropes and spice in my opinion are not what makes this a good book. The author E.N. Laurier created such an interesting world and interesting lovable characters. Including a disabled/chronically ill character who was both sexy and powerful. I want more of those. However, i think my favorite character was Prince Gabreel because hes so soft and sweet (he deserves a hug and a cookie). Prince Sym was a close second because (with love) he's a little shit, but I'm mad at him (and I'm petty, I'll get over it). Anyway all of the characters are interesting. Not just their personalities but also how they look. 

Specifically, the demons. Despite the cover of the book being red, these are not your typical red devils. They are beautiful shades of purple. E.N. Laurier does an amazing job of describing everything. Even the way the demons take care of their hair around their horns. Which in my opinion more authors need to include (for the fan artists and thirsty readers). Prince Adhemar's hair description had me obsessed. I wish I was better at drawing people. 

Finally I want to talk about the lore. The world E.N. Laurier created is so interesting. I want to know more about it. We get different bits and pieces from each story, but I'm greedy and I want more. More from both the human and demon sides. I would love to read a full length novel that takes place in this world. The castles, the creatures, the culture it was all so interesting. I love when erotic novels drop hints about the world between the smut. I always get so excited about lore. 

Overall, Demonic Appetites: A Short Story Collection was a fun, dark and spicy read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm excited to see what E.N. Laurier writes in the future. Honestly he has inspired me and got me hyped for world building again. 

 

Disclaimer: I requested and received this book from Net Galley. I am leaving my review voluntarily. 

The Pirate Princess by Luca Frigerio and Lorenza Pigliamosche follows Julie (the main character) on her pirate adventure. The story so far is fun but but hectic, as is expected from a good pirate adventure. There is so much to love about this graphic novel: the art, the characters, the chaos, and more. However, it is not without its faults. 

The Pirate Princess has so many tropes I've come to expect from pirate media. Like: family drama, cannon fights, deception, betrayal, found family, beautiful days as sea, big ships, and a colorful crew. The crew is my favorite though. Their character designs are so interesting and I can't wait to learn more about them. The art in general is so beautiful. It made me feel oddly nostalgic. There is just something about Lorenza Pigliamosche's art it has a warmth to it that reminds me of my favorite childhood films. Aside from their designs the characters themselves are also interesting. I could blab about them for a while but I wont. Mostly because this story is character driven and talking about them could give too much away. Just know the characters are wonderful and that you will likely want to know more after finishing this graphic novel. However, its not just the cliff hanger ending that will leave you wanting more. 

Which brings me to the negatives. This graphic novel feels shorter than it is at 120 pages. The story is fast paced but The Pirate Princess feels like it barely scratches the story's surface. Is it enough to make me want to keep reading? Yes. But I don't think this graphic novel matches the description/blurb. It feels like, especially the bold text, is about the over arching story of a series. Not just this book. It is a disservice to the graphic novel because it makes people expect more. I know I personally expected more. I went into The Pirate Princess expected a full story. Why? Because nowhere is there any indication that this was the first book in a series. Not the cover, not inside of the graphic novel, nowhere I looked said anything about it being a series. The only indication this is the first in a series is the "To Be Continued..." ending. 

Overall, I enjoyed this graphic novel. The story so far is setting up for a big adventure. To where? I'm unsure. But I am excited to go. I am invested I want to continue this adventure. I want to know what happens next. I need to know what kind of trouble Julie, Stephane, and Maxime get into. Seeing the "To Be Continued..." ending gives me hope that there will be another volume. (But I do still have a fear that this might be it.) 

 

Disclaimer: I requested and received an ARC of this graphic novel from Net Galley. I'm Leaving this review voluntarily.
 

I grew up watching "Winx Club" so I was so excited when I saw this graphic novel. I will be honest I didn't read the description I saw "Winx" and jumped at it. (I would have requested it regardless because the description just made me want to read it more.) However, according to the description this graphic novel is "a continuation of the hit Netflix series". I didn't watch the Netflix series. 

So, while reading Fate: The Winx Saga Vol.1-Dark Destiny by Olivia Cuartero-Briggs I did, at first, feel like I had been dropped into the middle of something. It felt like I had missed a lot. But the author does an amazing job of using context clues and conversations to fill those blanks. Which is to say I don't think you need to watch the show to enjoy this graphic novel. Especially if you, like me, grew up on Winx and are a bit familiar with the world. However, this graphic novel (because I can't speak for the show) gave us something the original Winx never did. Diversity. There are so many different body types and skin tones. But there is also queer characters! 

There is so much to love about Fate: The Winx Saga Vol.1-Dark Destiny. For example: That ending!? I need volume two now. I have to know what happens next. There is so much I want to say but can't because I can't pick what to say first, and its all spoilery. I so badly want to freak out about this book with somebody. I can't wait for it to be released on July 30th, 2024. I want someone to scream about it with me. If you and a friend loved "Winx Club" as kids or watched the Netflix series you should buddy read this graphic novel. Because books are better with friends who will scream about them with you. 

 

Disclaimer: I requested this book from Net Galley and received an advance review copy for free. I'm leaving this review voluntarily. 

I know that I say I'm soft all the time (I am). But I also love a good mystery, scary & disturbing art, and listening to true crime podcasts. So, when I saw Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Horvath I knew I had to read it. I knew it was going to be dark and bloody, but I was still caught off guard by the gore. There's just something about the art style that made everything extra disturbing. I checked the locks so many times after reading this graphic novel. It was so good in the worst ways, but that's just what I expect from horror-mystery books. 

As I said I knew before reading, based on the description and cover, that this was going to be a blood bath. However, I didn't expect the art to be so disarming. It added so much to those feelings of unease I got while reading this graphic novel. It is just extra unsettling to see cute anthropomorphic animals being murdered by equally cute and fluffy murderers. There are a few murder scenes in this book. But that first one was all on page and so meticulously gory. It caught me so off guard. Which is why I think the art style is perfect for this story. I've read gory comics before I've become desensitized to fictional human gore. It's everywhere in all types of media. But cute anthropomorphic animal gore is new (to me) and the murders were brutal. I've never seen anything like it before and because of that this graphic novel got to me. It got under my skin and made me uncomfortable and scared. But I had to keep reading. 

I needed to know what was going to happen next. I was invested in the mystery. Could "small-town serial killer Samantha Strong" (taken from the description) find her rival? And if she did what would she do? And what about the rest of the people in town? I became so attached to the characters, especially the side characters. Specifically Bertie the turtle (not just because turtles are my favorite animal). There was just something endearing about the way he chose to eat that chew-pop. He didn't have to eat it like that. It was so silly and it brought a bit of humor and sweetness to this very dark graphic novel. I needed to know if he was going to be okay. I was also so invested in Samantha's story. 

Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees put me in the strange position where I was rooting for a murderer. I wanted Samantha to win despite her being a serial killer. The way her rival was behaving at the near the end of the book was unhinged. Watching the semi-subtle scheming/ planning of the rival was horrifying. What was going to happen next? What would the rival do? And I know from the readers side the rival wasn't being subtle at all. But the mentality of small towns is just different. I grew up in a small town and the amount of stuff people just let slide is alarming. So, I don't even think the people truly registered that something was off. And I think Patrick Horvath did an amazing job of capturing that a bit of that mentality. 

Lastly I want to say a few thing. One, I'm still uncomfortable. Two, that duck will haunt me. Three, I can't wait to see what Patrick Horvath does next. Three I can't believe this was a debut graphic novel, it was damn good. 

 Disclaimer: I requested this book from book sirens. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.  

Pick Your Potion by Ephiny Gale is a darkly whimsical collection of sapphic short stories. Fuck, there's just so much to say and I'm struggling with finding the words. Each story has its own genre and its own levels of darkness or whimsy. Some of the stories were truly heartwarming and made me smile so big by cheeks hurt. Others left me with an ache in my soul. However, there were some that did both. Honestly there is such a nice spread of stories that I believe there is a story for everyone. Every reader has the possibility to love a least one story in this book. 

But, odds are that you'll love more than just one story I know I did. I can't choose my favorites from the bunch. It's so rare for me to find a short story collection where I enjoyed all the stories. Even when the stories are all by the same author. So I think with this review I want to do something different. I'm going to list the stories and tell you what I thought of each. Because reviewing this book as a book feels like an injustice to the author. That and I wrote and read the review where I treated it as a book and it reads like nonsense. I will also say here that the amount I write for each story varies because the stories are all different lengths. I don't want to spoil any of them. 

Here are the stories including the introduction because it was interesting:
 

Introduction: I loved the way this set up the book. The idea of a menu of stories and accompanied drinks is ingenious. I also appreciated the inclusion of why, when, or where each story was written. I did read that part after finishing the book though, because of a spoiler warning. (I will always appreciate a spoiler warning. 

CurioQueens: This is such a cool concept, the world needs more cursed board games. The story is dark, whimsical, and queer. I loved the way Ephiny Gale chose not to shy away from the darker sides of cursed objects. I also loved the main character. 

Restoration: This story is short but poignant. I understand what happened without it ever being truly mentioned. Ouch my heart. 

The Magic in Our Hands: The title is very literal, the concept is so interesting. I hope the main character gets what she wants. 

All the Times I'm Ten: This story is bittersweet. I couldn't imagine being the main character, it sounds like such a painful life. 

Nowhere, Australia: One, pancake toss sounds like a terrible game. Two, I want more, I want to know what happens after the end. 

The Candle Queen: The art included at the beginning of this story is beautiful. It gives "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" vibes but less dark and not about children. Honestly this story is decadent and reminds me of the feeling of first coming out. (I'm queer and from the bible belt for context). ( I would be happy to elaborate once the book is released). 

Solace: This story made me so happy. It has my favorite quote of the book "You would be disabled in that society, wouldn't you? It wasn't built for you." ( I can't give an exact page number because I have my font set to large. My page numbers are very inaccurate). Fuck I love that quote and this story. I'm holding back so much I want to say because I will say too much.
 

Last Text: I was not expecting that ending. Truly heartbreaking, I cried for at least an hour. 

La Vie En Mer: I'd 100% watch this if it was a TV show. (You will understand that more after reading the story). More proof that queer people just do it better.
 

Rewind: The world in this story is so strange, I guess to death do us part is not in the vows. I enjoyed the way Ephiny Gale wrote this story. It's one of my favorites. And a statement out of context ( you will have to read it to get the context) honestly I'd probably do the same thing, if I was in the same situation and if I was brave enough. 

Overnight, a Forest Grew: This one was hard for me, it really broke my heart. It hit one of my soft spots, hard. I think one of my favorite tropes is when something mundane becomes precious. 

Watchhouse: When I read the title my first thought was...Hmm I wonder what they're watching? After finding out what they were watching I thought... Thanks I hate it. I didn't have the story just some of the characters. I feel like this is a great allegory for being queer in dangerous places. 

Light and Sleek and Strong: I love that the authors only notes in the menu about this story were "This is the result of daydreaming in the shower. It's weirder that I remember. Sorry?" (can be found in the introduction). Because when I read the story I was like dafuq. It's definitely an interesting story weird but interesting. 

Faewild: What a fascinating world. I need to see fanart for this story, I would make it myself but I'm terrible at turning descriptions into art. (though it is something I want to get better at. So, we'll see.) 

The White Factory: The title made it seem like it was going to be darker and about racism. But its not. It was much cuter than I expected! I enjoyed it. 

Neuro: I fucking loved this story. One of my favorite things in sci-fi is the fantasized future technology. But it is so much better when its used for the treatment and diagnosis of disabling conditions. There is a lot more to the story than just that aspect but that's the one that stuck with me. 

When the Ice Comes In: This story reminded me of "The Little Match Girl" by Hans Christian Andersen. Which is ironic only because I read the menu after finishing the book. I also want to say that the two stories are very different. Regardless, if you are like me (soft) be ready to cry. 

Smol Animaux: Dear author, From a reader. Respectfully how dare you. I'm just kidding I read the content warnings I knew what I was getting into to. This story just hurt me more than I expected. I'm sure you are a very lovely person and you are definitely a wonderful author. 

The Most Powerful Witch in Witchville: I'm not really sure what to say about this story. All the things I want to say, that I've written down would spoil aspects of the story. Hmm. I'll just say this story is good and you should read it. 

This is (Not) My Beautiful Cat: My heart! This story made me want to hug my cats. It's so heartwarming. I also love that the author not for this story in the menu is simply "For all the cats I've loved". I want to cry now but not from sadness. 

Lovely Lilas: What an interesting way to learn to love yourself.
 

The Orchard: The art included with this story's title is also beautiful. This is such a cool and sweet story. That ending! I loved it. It oddly makes me want to dance with a partner in a field. Or to go pick apples with them, even though I can't eat apples. 

Inheritance: Simple, short, and interesting. 

Marina, Hel and Cady Save the Universe: Neurodivergence for the win! I liked the title. It was an interesting adventure. 

As Long as We Both Shall Live and After, Too: I have so many questions. 

Traces of Us, Hot Enough for Dinner: This is such a good story. That ending just grips the heart like a vice. 

Overall, I think this is one of my favorite short story collections I've read. However, I did have one issue with it. I wish the content warnings were at the beginning of the book. I know that they're shown in the table of contents. But I also know that e-reader apps tend to skip the table of contents and such. I guess that is more of an issue with e-readers and apps though. Anyway, this was a delightful read and I'm so excited for whatever Ephiny Gale writes next. 

This was the perfect way to start my morning. A pleasant and fun read/ listen. 

 

Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 

Jackie and the Magical Guys Vol. 1 by Amy Linsamouth and illustrator Hamons is the goofy beginning to what I believe will be an entertaining series. When I saw this on Net Galley I knew I needed to read it, the cover alone had me interested and then I read the title. I'm so glad I requested it and was accepted as a reader. I read it almost immediately after getting the email that I was approved. It gave me this odd nostalgic feeling. There's something about the writing and humor that felt like watching cartoons as a kid. It also already has me speculating on what's going to happen next. I am so excited for volume 2. I personally loved this comic, but I know its not going to be for everyone. There are so many goofy moments and even more puns. So, if you don't like puns, fast pace team building, or accidental gender fuckery this book is not for you. 

However, if you do like puns, fast pace team building, or accidental gender fuckery then read this comic. It has that same outlandish humor and general disregard for weird shit as The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. And if Beast Boy was your favorite Teen Titan you will love this story. Or at the very least you will love the characters. Especially since there is no shortage of goofy and diverse characters to love. I think my personal favorites so far are Blaze's grandmother and Reid. I love Blaze's grandma because she is silly and through everything her only concerns were her Matcha Love Coffee House drink and getting her grandson some friends and a date. I love Reid because of his personality, lack of shame, and proclivity for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That and he's a bit of an idiot which is my favorite type of character to read about. 

However, there was something in this comic that I usually don't like in books and media in general. Cliff hangers. Technically there were 2 cliff hangers. But I didn't dislike them in this case. It got me even more excited for volume 2. I was already planning on continuing the series before I even finished this volume. I mean it has all my favorite things: beautiful art, a diverse cast, lovable characters, and gender fuckery. The cliff hangers just made me drift off into excited speculation about the story. I've already talked the ears off of my housemates and anyone else who will listen. (But I've tried to do so without spoiling the comic for them. So, I think I mostly sound like I'm rambling in insanity). 

Overall,  Jackie and the Magical Guys Vol.1 was an entertaining opening to a series that I believe will be equal parts goofy and dark. The world Amy Linsamouth has created is so interesting and unique. I enjoyed the time travel, I don't think I've seen it written like it is in this comic before. I'm so glad I requested this comic. Honestly the art and story go so well together. Hamons captures the emotions of the characters in the funniest ways. While also capturing the more nitty gritty side of the story in a way that doesn't diminish either. I love Hamons' art, it is absolutely beautiful and at times funny. (I especially enjoyed the goofy little memeish faces the characters make.) 

I will leave you with a couple of my favorite out of context quotes. First: "I just urinated, and I don't know where it came from..." (pg 93). And: "That is correct. I am very maternal. For example, I know plants are just waiting for us to die until our carcasses become fertilizer for them. That is my maternal warning to you." (pg. 81).  

There is just one last thing I want to say its not about the comic itself at all. I think Monster Candy Publishing has my favorite logo I have ever seen. You need to look is up because it is perfect and my mind will not be changed. It honestly feels like they were the perfect choice to publish this goofy and wonderful comic. 

I'm loving this series so far. The characters and world have really pulled me in. I love world the author has created and am excited to read the next book in the series. 

 I think my favorite thing about this book, aside from the hot gargoyles, was the huge theme of found family. It made me realize some things about myself. Which I didn't expect from a romance book.

 I really related to Grace and some of her realizations just clicked with me. It felt like I had been given the words I didn't have before. 
 

I requested this arc and received it for free, I'm writing this review voluntarily.

King of Dust by Tycho Dwelis is a LitRPG. I was so excited to and really wanted to read this book because I love reading books about vampires and i love role playing games. However, I ended up a bit disappointed. That's not to say the book has no good aspects, just that my general grumpiness while reading tainted my experience. It could also literally be that I might not enjoy the LitRPG genre. Because from research I know that LitRPGs are based on different role playing games, both table-top and digital. But, I have to ask, is it usually so obvious what a LitRPG is based on? Because, this book felt so on the nose with it's references.

Don't get me wrong I enjoyed this book, but I was expecting a completely new to me story. But, I didn't get that. I believe this book is heavily based on/inspired by the Dungeons and Dragons module Curse of Strahd. Specifically a campaign within the module. I had recently watched a Dungeons and Dragons group on YouTube play through a bit of the module so I was familiar with it. I recognized so many things within the story that I knew from the module. So I also had a vague idea of what the order of events, or really, the possible places the group would go after their first encounter. It was so upsetting because I really like to go into books with no prior knowledge, except the blurb/summary and the content warnings. I want to be clear here, this story is VERY different from the Curse of Strahd module, the inspiration is just clear and obvious. Other than that there was really only one other thing that I didn't like about the book Astrid, the only woman in the group, was so infantalized. It just felt so weird to me and made me uncomfortable, but that could just be my own trauma.

However, the good aspects of the book outweigh the negative. (I know this paragraph is shorter that the one about the negatives. That is caused by my inability to say all the good with not spoilers.) What pulled me into this book was the characters. I loved the characters, even broody Yra (who ended up being my favorite). Even though I could guess where the characters might go because of my knowledge of Curse of Strahd, I didn't know what they would do or how they would react. Because this group is so sassy and, I say this lovingly, dumb. They're each dealing with their own trauma and missions but come together in a disjointed but functional team. They struggled with distrust, a moody heartbreak, and religious guilt. It made for some entertaining moments. If you want to find out the nitty gritty of all of this I suggest reading the book. Because if I don't stop now I will spoil everything.

Overall I enjoyed both the story and the characters even through my disappointment. King of Dust was a fun read and the ending was wonderful. There is also so much I love about the world in this book that I didn't mention. The magic, the weapons, the npcs, and so much more. I will also say even if you have played through or watched a group play through Curse of Strahd you will still be surprised by the story. Because this book is not Curse of Strahd its just heavily inspired by it. And I believe the similarities are made so obviously so the references are clear. As I've said above this is the first LitRPG I've ever read and I cannot that this obviousness is or is not the norm. I hope you enjoy whatever you read next.

I received this advance review copy for free ( I requested it). My review is completely voluntary. (Technically it is a published review copy because it came out today but I requested it yesterday. So, I'm still counting it.)

Secondly this book is, in my opinion, and incredibly dark book. It comes with several content warnings that I'll include here: Profanity, Abuse, Death, Sex, Violence, Suicide, and Rape.

"The Vampire's King's Punishment" by Darcy Fayton is an incredibly dark book with a small bit of romance in it. It is, and I cannot say this enough, DARK. I knew before requesting it that the book was going to be dark. But this book DARK. I read the content warnings, I saw the tags, and contemplated for a few hours on whether or not I really wanted to read the book. Because I am a sentimental softy. But then I read the excerpt and I knew I had to read the full book. However, I didn't realize just how much it was going to shatter me. It hurt so much but it also gave me a cathartic cry that I didn't know I needed. And I can now confidently say that I don't think "dark romance" is for me. I prefer my romances fluffy with darkness on the said ( aka not in the relationship). But, I also personally I don't consider " The Vampire King's Punishment" a romance in my mind. Dark erotica yes, but not a romance.

However, I still enjoyed the book for several reasons. One reason being the author. I greatly appreciate the way Darcy Fayton opened the book. She provided content warnings and the following message. "Your mental health matters. Remember, It's okay to put this book down and read something else if it's not for you. We all deserve an enjoyable reading experience." And that is something I will always appreciate. (I've read books where both the author and reviews failed to mention some extremely traumatizing things. But this review is not for those books so I will leave it at that.) However, her awareness is not the only reason I enjoyed "The Vampire King's Punishment".

I love the way Darcy Fayton writes everything flowed together so smoothly. And the world she created is interesting and the lore is fascinating. We get little bits of information about the past that make me want to know what the world was like before Henrikk. And the details about the present make me want to see the world burn and like a phoenix be reborn. Unfortunately I don't know that I could handle another dark romance by Darcy Fayton anytime soon. And that's okay.

Although out of everything the one thing that kept me reading was Asher. As I mentioned above I decided to request this book after reading the excerpt. And it was because of Asher. I needed to know how this story was going to end for him. Because, even through all the dark shit he had to experience he was still kind, still optimistic, and far to loyal for his own good. Nevertheless, Asher was a good person and I had to know if he was going to be okay. I needed him to be okay.

Overall, my heart hurts and I was more affected by this book that I expected to me. I knew it was going to hurt me I just didn't know how much. I enjoyed the book because of the big emotions it pulled from me, anger, hurt, and strangled hope. Darcy Fayton has created a very interesting world and her writing is phenomenal. But I am too soft to read more of her books unfortunately. But if you enjoy dark books and can mentally handle those content warnings (because it is all on page) pick up this book and give it a try. And to re-quote the author's book opening message "Your mental health matters. Remember, It's okay to put this book down and read something else if it's not for you. We all deserve an enjoyable reading experience." Now I am going to go bake some cookies and pick up something fluffy. Enjoy reading!