husnaibrahim_'s Reviews (393)

I’ve found that whenever I read triller/murder mysteries, I lean more towards the detectives and not the suspects but that wasn’t the case with this book.
Maybe it’s because we had seen when the murder happened in the beginning. I mean we already knew who did it and how they’d handle it but I think it all made it more intriguing. 

Then there was the whole friendship thing between Ishigami and Yukawa which just made it so much better. I mean it only made sense that his genius friend would be the one to actually figure out what happened yet he was also the only one that had his best interest at heart. Even Ishigami himself didn’t have his own interest at heart. It was all just about Yasuko with him. Which is probably why the ending scene was just too heartbreaking! 

————-A cry of confusion and desperation. A cry that tore at the hearts of all who heard it.
Two guards ran over to restrain him.
“Leave him alone,” Yukawa barked, appearing between them and Ishigami. “The least you can do is just let him cry.”
Yukawa turned toward Ishigami, laying his hands gently on the bigger man’s shoulders.
Kusanagi watched as Ishigami screamed, and it seemed to him as if the mathematician was shouting out his very soul. - ———-

I didn’t really connect much with detective Kusanagi. In fact I thought that Yukawa would have made a better detective than him but I think that’s just what made this so perfect. I mean he’s a detective and we got to see how not all detectives could be complete geniuses. Rather with this case, it was actually quite the opposite. We had a genius suspect and then the genius informant who also happened to be friends with said suspect. Then the whole thing with Yukawa bringing about the plot twist. It was all done brilliantly. 

Then there was also the whole thing with Yasuko. I didn’t actually think she’d turn herself in after everything that happened but I guess she couldn’t deal with all that guilt. I also kept thinking about her daughter, Misato. I felt that the whole ordeal must be affecting her so much too, yet we didn’t see much of her. Which is why I believe what happened to her at the ending kind of made sense at least. 

Overall, this was such a great read and I’m hoping I’d be able to give the other books in the series a try too. The fact that I didn’t really connect much with detective Kusanagi is what’s holding me back. With Yukawa though, it was different but maybe it’s because he was someone from Ishigami’s past?

I didn’t think I’d like this book cause of the western influence but I really enjoyed it. 

Now I’m really anxious cause I can’t quite figure out what would become of Noorsham and Amani. I know there’s going to be some tension because of what happened with Bahi but I’d really like to see them behave more like family in the next book. Even though she has Jin now and can say she has someone in her life, I don’t think it would be the same. I’m honestly looking forward to seeing her interact with Noorsham way more than I am with Jin.

Plus I’m hoping to see Ahmed succeed as a Sultan cause it’s not always as easy carrying out what you’ve been promising to the people.

I can’t believe it took us finishing about 70% of the book before Hannah found out the truth about Madison!

This book wasn’t necessarily a terrible book, but the fact that this huge secret was being kept from her was what made it unbearable for me. I think the only reason I was able to finish it was because I really wanted to see how she’ll find out and what she’ll do about it. The whole friends to lovers thing was done well. They didn’t bullshit about their feelings for each other, which was great to see. However, I didn’t like Will’s reasoning at all!! It made me like him way less than I would have liked.

It’s not like he was even planning to tell her that Madison was his ex girlfriend. Then he just used the excuse of Hannah’s new found friendship with her to coward his way out of it. It would have been better if she was just an ex. But she was the ex that cheated on him with his brother!! That is a huge kind of information you don’t neglect to tell your supposed wife. Then the fact that the whole family knew and all pretended as if it was normal for Jon to actually marry Madison is crazy! I also couldn’t understand why after they finally reconciled, they just had to have a falling out again. It wasn’t even a serious thing yet they blew it out of proportion. Also why was Hannah so shocked that her parents didn’t just fully accept Will? I mean I can see why they would be concerned because their daughter got married just days after a reunion with this guy without telling anyone from their family! Honestly this book had potential to be something great but it just wasn’t it. 

I think I would have probably given this book a better rating if they communicated better. It was just really hard for me to keep reading knowing that Hannah just thought Madison was her friend and soon to be sister-in-law. Aside from that, I really did like Will and Hannah together. They were really cute especially in the beginning. Plus I also really liked Kate and Riley.

I loved the pace of this book. It wasn’t too fast or too slow. 

This isn’t my first time reading of a kitsune but I really liked the whole two-beings in one body thing going on with Tatsumi the Demonslayer and Yumeko the Kitsune. 

Right from the start of this book, I felt an attachment to Suki and always looked forward to her appearances throughout the book. So when she played a significant role at the ending too, I was delighted! 

It was also always interesting to see how they always somewhat leave their marks in almost every place they visit while traveling. It’s like getting side quests done on their way to complete a big mission. 

I think another thing I liked about this book was the unconditional kindness we see especially from Yumeko and her group. Yes it had a lot to do with honour codes but it was still always so wholesome. I’m really looking forward to seeing Tatsumi back in the second book and how he would come to terms with his emotions after Hakaimono has been let out. 

What I’m also really looking forward to is finding out who this Seigetsu guy is and why he is so powerful yet not going after the scroll. I’m definitely really excited to start the second book after the ending we just had!

3.75⭐️
I’m looking forward to seeing so many things in the next book. Is Darin really still alive? How far can they go before getting caught? What would happen with Keenan?? Cause I really like Keenan. Plus can Helene really survive the horror that is Marcus?!

I liked this book but I’m not so sure I loved it. 

I went into this book thinking I’d definitely love it more than the first one cause I was so fond of Shawn in the first one but it was just okay. I kind of had the impression that Brenna loved Shawn from the go but apparently I was mistaken. I did like seeing things from Shawn’s perspective because everyone just sort of underestimates him in a way. I also think the way they move fast with their relationships in this series works well for them because of the whole Celtic folklore thing. 

I didn’t like how Brenna always mentioned his faults to almost anyone when he hardly did the same when it came to her. I think they work well together though. Her will to strive for more would definitely be good for him once they learn to respect boundaries between themselves. I’ll probably be giving the third book a chance just cause I’m looking forward to seeing Darcy exploring outside this small town.