kaitlynisliterate's Reviews (466)

Once I started reading this book, I couldn’t put it down. The premise of this book was so intriguing and the execution was even better. I did not expect Ezra, Vera’s creator, to be such a complex character but I really liked how his grief was explored and how Vera dealt with it.

I mostly enjoyed the main character Vera’s exploration of what it means to be human and her internal struggles of feeling like she’s a monster. I was super invested in Vera's story. Sometimes it got a bit repetitive but for a young adult protagonist, I think that is to be expected. 

The ending is what takes this down from being excellent to being just good. I was honestly quite baffled at the last two chapters because they went in the complete opposite direction of what Vera has discovered about herself through the course of the book. Suddenly in the last part of the book, Vera presents this dichotomy between “killing Nazis/violence” and “helping people live.” It’s not clear how she can do one without the other in this situation and it’s never explained further. The ending almost feels incomplete in a sense because we are told that Vera’s emotional journey is finished but it doesn’t feel that way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very solid start to a very promising fantasy romance series. I really liked the exploration of Zarya’s emotions towards Row as it alternates between a father figure and a captor. I thought that her conflicting opinions made her more realistic as she’s understandably angry at him for keeping her trapped for her whole life but also caring for her. 

The first issue was the lack of convincing rationale for the character’s actions which led to inconsistent characterization and generally stupid decision-making. It feels like this book was written with specific scenes in mind so the entire plot is structured to fit around these scenes. Character personalities, motivations, etc are changed to ensure that they go from scene A to scene B, even if it doesn’t make sense. For example, the events that led Zarya and Aarav to Dharati seem to happen with little to no explanation.

Vikram and Yassen find Zarya and Aarav in the forest so they bring them in front of the queen. We are never given an explanation why they’re meeting the queen other than “it’s suspicious for them to be in the forests.” Once they get there, however, it seems that all is forgotten and they’re allowed to just leave the day after.

It’s clear that for the plot, the author needs both Zarya and Aarav to be introduced to the social elites of Dharati but has done so in an extremely random way. In another example, Zarya wants to do something in secret but the author wants Zarya to be caught by Yassen. So instead of Zarya hiding in her room or any secluded area, the author makes her go to a public area even while Zarya expresses her desire to not be seen. Stated character motivations are frequently in conflict with character actions without explanation. 

The next issue was the lack of character development for anyone other than Zarya, though this is somewhat improved in the second half of the book. The characters' outfits are described in excruciating detail to the point of becoming repetitive but their personalities are not developed very much. Vikram’s physical attractiveness is emphasized over and over but he has basically no other defining attributes or personality. Aarav is similarly devoid of depth, going from borderline abusive towards Zarya to a sort of brother-sister dynamic. I didn’t feel like I connected with any of the characters and I was not invested in their stories until the very end of the book.

The “slow burn” and “enemies to lovers” aspect of the romance was also a big letdown. I understand that this is the first book in a series but Rabin literally doesn’t have more than a few lines of dialogue in the whole book. The author keeps telling us that Zarya and Rabin have this deep connection, that Zarya “feels” like Rabin is trustworthy, etc but their actual interactions consist of “What’s your name?” “Where do you live?” and nothing else.

The author also tackles the topic of caste systems through the vanshaj, the descendants of two evil twins, who are marked with a tattoo and relegated to menial tasks. However, it is interesting to note that not a single character in the book expresses support for this caste system, even characters who are in positions of authority or power. It’s incredible how such a system of oppression could continue to exist without any character being morally complicit. 

I think this series shows promise and I think the next book will be able to improve on the issues that I mentioned especially since a lot of the groundwork has been laid.

Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book got off to a really great start and I really connected with both Madison and Kathryn but the ending felt very under-developed.

The best thing about this book was the depiction of the law student, Madison, and how her rose-tinted view of the legal system is shattered. The author (who, after finishing the book, I learned is a former federal prosecutor) does a really good job at depicting the morally grey tactics used by prosecutors in attempting to “flip” witnesses. It felt super gritty and realistic without being melodramatic.

The first issue was how the reader is constantly told that there is a vast conspiracy but never shown it.

We are told that the mob has people “on the inside” at every level who can track Madison and Kathryn’s every move but they only interact with three people. And once those three people are taken care of, suddenly everything is solved and Madison is free from the mob. 

This leads into the second issue which is character agency or lack thereof.

The resolution of the plot is not due to the actions of either main character but rather the sudden change of heart from a side character. This was such a letdown because neither Madison nor Kathryn ever outsmart the mob but are rather “saved.”

A minor gripe that I have is that I feel like it’s somewhat tacky to be namedropping brands throughout the book. Doordash, Instacart, etc are mentioned multiple times when a generic term (eg: takeout, grocery delivery) would have been just as good. I don’t think these brands actually sponsored the book but it reminded me of bad product placement in movies.

Overall, it was a solid book and a definite page-turner. 

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Obviously great but an unbelievably slow and boring start. It takes way too long for Frodo to leave the Shire.

Loved the premise and the worldbuilding but somewhat repetitive in emphasizing its themes including the same conversations about love, trauma, etc. 

I really had to just sit and stare at a wall for an hour after I finished reading this book to even begin digesting it. 

I can't even articulate all that I liked about this book and I'm sure that other reviewers have done so much better than I ever could. Every time I thought I had everything figured out, it managed to surprise me by taking it even further. Every time I thought "Will the author go there?" the answer was yes.

However, there is something that was bothering me about the way that race and eugenics were discussed and depicted in this book. The Masquerade assumes that race is a biological reality and that certain races are predisposed to certain traits or qualities. The book makes it clear that this is not only untrue but that eugenics is really just a way to legitimize imperialism. Then they introduce this character who is part of a group of

elite soldiers/spies (?) called the Clarified that have been "bred" to want to follow orders and serve the Masquerade. The problem with eugenics isn't that it's just morally/ethically wrong but also that it's bad science! There is no way that within the space of a few generations, a group of people could be "bred" to have certain personality traits that are so strong that it overrides any other aspect of their sense of self. It's literally like Harry Potter with the house elves that "like" being enslaved.

Edit: Upon reading the second book, I believe that the series is building up to address this critique of the Clarified by portraying it as a form of psychological conditioning (instead of "genetic" behavior) but it's such a subtle framing shift that I don't think most readers will pick up on it.

 Let me start off by saying that this book will likely be hit or miss for a lot of people. Despite its flaws, I actually really enjoyed this book and read it all in one sitting. 

 

There are 4 POV characters: Abby, Mark, Chelsea, and Lottie. The multiple POVs were not handled well at all.  The biggest issue is with the first half of the book where each chapter ends with the POV character thinking to themselves, “I hope my secret plan works” or “I hope no one finds out about my secret plan” without divulging any details. It does not make sense why a character who is otherwise a reliable narrator would lie or censor themselves in their own head. This type of writing feels extremely forced and breaks my immersion in the story. 

 

The ending also goes off the rails as the characters’ personalities completely change for no apparent reason other than to force more plot twists. Some scenes which should have been really tense and dramatic (eg: one of the POV characters is literally murdered) come out of nowhere and receive very little reaction from the other characters. 

 

So why did I still enjoy this book? I just like “gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss” thrillers where a woman gets revenge in the most bonkers way possible. And once I completely suspended my disbelief and went along for the ride, it was pretty fun. 

 

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 

This was a good thriller that kept me guessing until the end. 

 

I liked Hallie’s characterization a lot and I really enjoyed reading the letters that she received back from various Robert Thompson’s which are interspersed throughout the book. The Thompson family was pretty cliché, consisting of an alcoholic mother, a social media-obsessed daughter, and a son who is desperate to impress his father. However, I enjoyed discovering each of their hidden secrets which fit well with the characterization that they’ve been given. 

 

My main issue isn’t even with the book itself but rather the blurb which spoils most of the book. The scene where we find out that Robert Thompson isn’t Hallie’s father happens 81% into the book and for some reason, this is mentioned in the blurb. I honestly can’t understand why they would reveal one of the biggest plot twists of the book in the blurb. 

 

My second biggest issue is that it’s never explained why Hallie was roped into this whole situation with the Thompson family. The main antagonist (who has been behind all of the strange events occurring to the Thompson family) has no previous connection to Hallie or reason to target her. Hallie was only a small, basically irrelevant, part of his grand scheme. It’s extremely frustrating as a reader to find out that the main character who we’ve been following for the entire book so far is borderline irrelevant to the main antagonist’s plan and his motivation for involving her amounts to “I thought it would be funny.” It makes the previous 90% of the book that we spent learning about Hallie, Nick, etc feel totally wasted. 

 

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 

This book started out really promising but quickly lost steam. The first third of the book is fast-paced and engaging but then starts to drag out too long and become repetitive. 

 

We follow Lorraine as she discovers the web of lies that her late husband, Victor, has been keeping from her. Lorraine uncovers the truth a third of the way through the book and then, there are no more secrets/surprises from Victor. The rest of the book involves Lorraine attempting to hide Victor’s secrets while the unidentified girl regains her memories and Gail tries to find out what Lorraine is hiding. Since the reader already knows what Lorraine is hiding, there’s not a lot of tension or suspense. I kept reading in the hopes of another plot twist (eg: Victor had more secrets) but that never happened. The ending was predictable and there was basically no build-up or tension coming into the last climactic scene. 

 

Lorraine was a very compelling and morally grey character. However, the other characters totally fell flat. It was extremely difficult to feel sympathetic to Carl because he was basically delusional and set on ruining Lorraine’s life since he blames her (and her husband) for his cheating being exposed. Gail has basically no personality and Aiden seems to exist solely as a plot device to do whatever the narrative requires. 

 

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.