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Thank you to the author for an eARC.
MIXED THOUGHTS.
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There’s some good and some bad here. Trying to wrangle my thoughts for this one.
Something I could understand were the emotions coming from 16 year-old Paige. She’s going through a lot and I recognize the thoughts and feelings she would be going through during a hard time in her life.
Now an item I really didn’t love. Paige. While I mentioned above, some stuff was fine, the rest definitely was not. One major issue, cheating. I don’t like it. Ever. I can’t get on board with any reasoning as to “why it’s okay.” It’s not. She dragged on a love triangle that was ridiculous and rubbed me the wrong way multiple times.
This book covered a lot of difficult subject matter (See trigger warnings). It was painful to watch the story unfold searching for hope. I liked the way Wenger brought that out in the end and gave Paige (and her family) a chance to reconnect and find some measure of peace.
Overall audience notes:
- YA Contemporary romance
- Language: none
- Romance: kisses
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loved one with a chronic disease, loss of a parent, being diagnosed with a chronic condition, vandalism, cheating
MIXED THOUGHTS.
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There’s some good and some bad here. Trying to wrangle my thoughts for this one.
Something I could understand were the emotions coming from 16 year-old Paige. She’s going through a lot and I recognize the thoughts and feelings she would be going through during a hard time in her life.
Now an item I really didn’t love. Paige. While I mentioned above, some stuff was fine, the rest definitely was not. One major issue, cheating. I don’t like it. Ever. I can’t get on board with any reasoning as to “why it’s okay.” It’s not. She dragged on a love triangle that was ridiculous and rubbed me the wrong way multiple times.
This book covered a lot of difficult subject matter (See trigger warnings). It was painful to watch the story unfold searching for hope. I liked the way Wenger brought that out in the end and gave Paige (and her family) a chance to reconnect and find some measure of peace.
Overall audience notes:
- YA Contemporary romance
- Language: none
- Romance: kisses
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loved one with a chronic disease, loss of a parent, being diagnosed with a chronic condition, vandalism, cheating
EMOTIONS.
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I had a lot of up and down with this one, but by the end I was really invested in getting some kind of ending I could be satisfied with. And even though it took awhile, I loved the way this ended which solidified a great book for me.
One of the things I struggled with was Eva’s Mother. I could understand the grief and despair she was feeling, but kept being angered at how much she taking out on Eva. There was never a chance for them to truly reconcile and it hurt my soul watching the relationship slowly deteriorate because of atrocities outside of their control.
World War II historical fiction is common in the genre. While sometimes I find the stories repetitive, I thought this one took on new aspects. I liked the focus on the children and of a Jewish woman working to forge papers to help those around her. Not to mention the romance sub-plot thrown in was SO SWEET. I mean, definitely tore my heart out, but also the development was spot on. The action and movement kept me interested and I enjoyed reading this as an audio book. Even when you could kind of see things coming, the whole of the plot still took me by surprise.
Overall audience notes:
- Historical fiction [WW2]
- Language: very little
- Romance: kisses, one little detailed open scene
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved ones, depictions of World War 2, suicide (a small paragraph with depiction of method)
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I had a lot of up and down with this one, but by the end I was really invested in getting some kind of ending I could be satisfied with. And even though it took awhile, I loved the way this ended which solidified a great book for me.
One of the things I struggled with was Eva’s Mother. I could understand the grief and despair she was feeling, but kept being angered at how much she taking out on Eva. There was never a chance for them to truly reconcile and it hurt my soul watching the relationship slowly deteriorate because of atrocities outside of their control.
World War II historical fiction is common in the genre. While sometimes I find the stories repetitive, I thought this one took on new aspects. I liked the focus on the children and of a Jewish woman working to forge papers to help those around her. Not to mention the romance sub-plot thrown in was SO SWEET. I mean, definitely tore my heart out, but also the development was spot on. The action and movement kept me interested and I enjoyed reading this as an audio book. Even when you could kind of see things coming, the whole of the plot still took me by surprise.
Overall audience notes:
- Historical fiction [WW2]
- Language: very little
- Romance: kisses, one little detailed open scene
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved ones, depictions of World War 2, suicide (a small paragraph with depiction of method)
ALL THE CHOCOLATE.
This book made me intensely crave everything related to chocolate. I need to find a local chocolatier and get some because YUM. Still one of my favorite things getting all of the recipes at the end!
I liked this one (even if the 3 stars may appear otherwise). It was a good mystery, I really wasn’t sure who the murderer was until closer to the end. I think Alexander does a solid job on keeping the reader enough in the dark to keep pursuing the story.
Am I the only one who loves Thomas more than Carlos?! I think if Carlos can’t bother to stay, then why not let things move on? I feel like that’s where the plot is going, and I know it’s a long series, but I do wish the pace for this moved a little quicker. A couple can work together to solve mysteries too!!
The other sides plots are charming and I can’t wait to see how those further develop too. With her Mom’s story, and Jules’ friendship with Lance, the new additions to the bakery and more. I really love this series as a palate cleanser between denser books. They’re well written and incredibly charming.
Overall audience notes:
- Cozy mystery
- Language: none
- Romance: none
- Trigger/Content Warnings: death by anaphylactic shock, attempted kidnapping, assault
BORDERLINE.
I enjoy this series, I do. And I read a lot of fantasy. This is one of those fantasies that I’m on book four and still feel turned around half the time about the world building and who’s doing what and where. It feels borderline genius or convoluted. And I flirt with that line every other chapter. Which is why my rating is lower. While an enjoyable book, the density of everything can be hard to grasp.
The complexity of the characters and their arcs are something I liked in this installment. There was SO MUCH going on. Honestly not very many dull moments. The continual rotation of point-of-view keep the action moving and the pace steady. Iseult definitely saw the most growth and I love that this book focused more deeply on her story. I did miss some of the general relationships (friendship and romantic) that have been brought up in previous books. Everyone was kind of on their own for most of this one.
I’m curious enough to keep reading the next book in the series. I have plenty of questions and I know the writing will be as great as always. It’ll be interesting to see how this series ends!
Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy
- Language: very little
- Violence: physical altercations, magical/elemental magic, murder, loss of loved ones
A NEW MG FAV.
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This book reminded me of why I enjoy reading middle-grade books. I absolutely adored it and can’t wait to continue this series.
I love Sophie! She’s a great character with a mix of the obvious naivety that comes with being 12/13, but also the resilience that comes from being put in difficult situations. Not to mention finding out so much information about herself in a matter of months. I hope this character grow continues throughout.
The side characters were added gems too. I thought they were fun, cute, and I can see the budding friendships solidifying. I love a fantastic friend group and want more of this casts antics.
I struggled with the kids at school trope (like I do in all cases), but this didn’t detract too much from how much I appreciated the story. They might have been at school a lot but I thought the development of the story was well laid out. I have plenty of questions and am curious where all the strings will start tying together.
Overall audience notes:
- Middle grade fantasy
- Language: none
- Violence: physical altercations, kidnapping (by drugging them to sleep), fires, magic
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This book reminded me of why I enjoy reading middle-grade books. I absolutely adored it and can’t wait to continue this series.
I love Sophie! She’s a great character with a mix of the obvious naivety that comes with being 12/13, but also the resilience that comes from being put in difficult situations. Not to mention finding out so much information about herself in a matter of months. I hope this character grow continues throughout.
The side characters were added gems too. I thought they were fun, cute, and I can see the budding friendships solidifying. I love a fantastic friend group and want more of this casts antics.
I struggled with the kids at school trope (like I do in all cases), but this didn’t detract too much from how much I appreciated the story. They might have been at school a lot but I thought the development of the story was well laid out. I have plenty of questions and am curious where all the strings will start tying together.
Overall audience notes:
- Middle grade fantasy
- Language: none
- Violence: physical altercations, kidnapping (by drugging them to sleep), fires, magic
INSTANT HIT.
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WOW.
This was so good!! And highly recommend on audio too. I felt that brought Raybearer to life.
I’m always hesitant over a timeline that starts off with a younger child then moves on to teenager/adulthood. I loove the way this was written. I never felt stuck too long in one area, but got all of the information needed to get a great sense of the world being built and the magic system being established.
Found family is a hidden gem trope for me. I start to feel all the things for every member of the group. This was fantastic. I love that Tarisai found her home. She found her friends and family. Those who would love and protect her just like she would them. It was beautiful. Every side character I met stole my heart and I am captivated by them all.
Her relationship with Sanjeet was adorable. Brooding and with the right amount of angst and longing. It played so well into the storyline, but didn’t over shadow the plot. I always love a good romance woven in and I see it here.
The political action was astounding and kept me on my toes. It wasn’t bogged down with too many council meetings and babble that didn’t go anywhere. Every scene had a point and meant something to the story. Many things are incredibly unique to this fantasy and it was refreshing to take it all in. This one is worth the hype y’all and there’s no way to cover the abundant aspects I enjoyed.
Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy
- Language: very little
- Romance: kisses; closed door scenes
- Violence: small battles, physical altercations, attempted exocutions
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a parent, child sacrifice (not depicted, but spoken of as it pertains heavily to the plot), domestice abuse, gaslighting
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WOW.
This was so good!! And highly recommend on audio too. I felt that brought Raybearer to life.
I’m always hesitant over a timeline that starts off with a younger child then moves on to teenager/adulthood. I loove the way this was written. I never felt stuck too long in one area, but got all of the information needed to get a great sense of the world being built and the magic system being established.
Found family is a hidden gem trope for me. I start to feel all the things for every member of the group. This was fantastic. I love that Tarisai found her home. She found her friends and family. Those who would love and protect her just like she would them. It was beautiful. Every side character I met stole my heart and I am captivated by them all.
Her relationship with Sanjeet was adorable. Brooding and with the right amount of angst and longing. It played so well into the storyline, but didn’t over shadow the plot. I always love a good romance woven in and I see it here.
The political action was astounding and kept me on my toes. It wasn’t bogged down with too many council meetings and babble that didn’t go anywhere. Every scene had a point and meant something to the story. Many things are incredibly unique to this fantasy and it was refreshing to take it all in. This one is worth the hype y’all and there’s no way to cover the abundant aspects I enjoyed.
Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy
- Language: very little
- Romance: kisses; closed door scenes
- Violence: small battles, physical altercations, attempted exocutions
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a parent, child sacrifice (not depicted, but spoken of as it pertains heavily to the plot), domestice abuse, gaslighting
INTERESTING.
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Well, that was unique. Paranormal anything is a hard genre for me. So I can’t say this is my favorite Hoover book, but it did keep me invested and really dang curious where it was going.
This was completely different than any romance I’ve read. From the get-go I already felt the pull to Leeds and Layla’s relationship. I love the way this kind of connection was written (and proves that yes, I do love some insta-love/attraction sometimes). Then it took off in a incredibly far right field direction. And I spent the next several chapters trying to grasp what just happened.
While a romance book, this is also not a romance book. I was nervous in how it was starting to play out and was feeling like my rating was slipping between my fingers. The deeper I got into the book and the more revealed did satisfy any issues I was concerned with. Did take me by surprise though.
I didn’t love how the back and forth layout went and wanted a better progression. It made the characters motivations seem really skewed and was causing a lot of doubt that things were going to work. It’s a trippy ending (not as wild as Verity though) that left me with some questions, but also okay enough with everything.
Overall audience notes:
- Paranormal Romance
- Language: some strong throughout
- Romance: kisses/make-outs; a handful of brief open door scenes, and quick closed door scenes
- Trigger/Content Warnings: gun violence, near drowning, emotional cheating
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Well, that was unique. Paranormal anything is a hard genre for me. So I can’t say this is my favorite Hoover book, but it did keep me invested and really dang curious where it was going.
This was completely different than any romance I’ve read. From the get-go I already felt the pull to Leeds and Layla’s relationship. I love the way this kind of connection was written (and proves that yes, I do love some insta-love/attraction sometimes). Then it took off in a incredibly far right field direction. And I spent the next several chapters trying to grasp what just happened.
While a romance book, this is also not a romance book. I was nervous in how it was starting to play out and was feeling like my rating was slipping between my fingers. The deeper I got into the book and the more revealed did satisfy any issues I was concerned with. Did take me by surprise though.
I didn’t love how the back and forth layout went and wanted a better progression. It made the characters motivations seem really skewed and was causing a lot of doubt that things were going to work. It’s a trippy ending (not as wild as Verity though) that left me with some questions, but also okay enough with everything.
Overall audience notes:
- Paranormal Romance
- Language: some strong throughout
- Romance: kisses/make-outs; a handful of brief open door scenes, and quick closed door scenes
- Trigger/Content Warnings: gun violence, near drowning, emotional cheating
A GREAT RESOLUTION.
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I’ve made it through four of these books now, and they’re totally predictable and have some of the same characteristics. BUT, they are also easy reads with adorable romances and subtle moments that I’ve really enjoyed diving into. Quick Christmas regency romance reads.
I liked that this one differed from the others in the overall plot. Lucy had to try and regain Benjamin’s confidence and right several wrongs of their past. It made for great banter that had me smiling and loving the connection they were reforming. Some of the side characters were a touch too much, but they seemed to add contrast to the main’s.
Ben and Lucy both had flaws and I loved seeing those along with them growing and recognizing how they both could work together. This installment was incredibly sweet and I have been loving all of the holiday vibes.
Overall audience notes:
- Regency romance
- Language: none
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: slips & falls, nearly falling into an icy river
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I’ve made it through four of these books now, and they’re totally predictable and have some of the same characteristics. BUT, they are also easy reads with adorable romances and subtle moments that I’ve really enjoyed diving into. Quick Christmas regency romance reads.
I liked that this one differed from the others in the overall plot. Lucy had to try and regain Benjamin’s confidence and right several wrongs of their past. It made for great banter that had me smiling and loving the connection they were reforming. Some of the side characters were a touch too much, but they seemed to add contrast to the main’s.
Ben and Lucy both had flaws and I loved seeing those along with them growing and recognizing how they both could work together. This installment was incredibly sweet and I have been loving all of the holiday vibes.
Overall audience notes:
- Regency romance
- Language: none
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: slips & falls, nearly falling into an icy river