I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book… I will start off by saying it felt very different from the first book in that the characters fell flat, and there was little to no development. Not only did Faythe annoy me most of the book with her constant “i’m not good enough” or “they don’t need me” attitude, she also lost a lot of her strength and overall resolve. She seemed weak and just not the same even tho she had more access to her power? Another character that completely changed imo and started giving me the ick was Nik.

The relationship between Nik and Faythe ended so fast I was confused. Then suddenly he has feelings for Tauria… when he could’ve done that i don’t know in the 100 years he’s known her.

Along with ALLLLL that, so many aspects of this book are just like TOG it’s hard to over look.

I wanted to give this a higher rating as i’m a big fan of Olivie’s work but the plot in this book fell short for me. I loved the characters tho which definitely helped and I enjoyed their relationship with each other. I also liked the ties between the characters and the overall concept of the book. That being said, I am still not entirely sure what the game even is? I don’t know if this confusion was intentional as I am a mere mortal but it still is kind of annoying. I kind of get how to win the game but I also don’t because how they play made little sense to me. Regardless I still enjoyed it enough to finish.

The couple pairings are very cute and i’m glad they get their happy endings.

This book started off kind of slow and boring and some of the writing felt a bit juvenile. Once I got into it the plot was pretty good and I can see the potential for the series to be good overall. There  are quite a few similarities to throne of glass too. I didn’t love the way Faythe was portrayed in the stereotypical strong human girl with basic looks but the fae guy finds her beautiful way. I don’t have much to say other than that, I am gonna see what comes next.

This book was super fun and interesting to read; I loved having an anthology for this subject because some authors don't do zombies as well as others. The first half of this book was the most interesting for me and I loved the stories dating back to cavemen time. The second half was a bit of a drag for me but still interesting. There were so many plague stories that I really needed something different so the more unique the telling the better. I got this book in a blind box during halloween time about 5 years ago and just picked it up periodically around October since they were short stories I didn't need to remember anything. I highly recommend reading during spooky month!

This was a very meh kinda book, I only finished it because it was short. The concept fell flat and it was obvious to me

that the kids did not try to kill their mother even with the potential evidence. Also so obvious that Adam did something because he was painted as a mastermind manipulator. I don’t like Adam but I also dislike how this book paints all the cheating women as victims… like yes he pulled them in but come on they still cheated.

 

Concept of this story was good and I liked the main character enough. But it felt a bit unrealistic to me, especially the conversations with the detective and professor. I called a lot of the “big reveals” and wasn’t that impressed when they came about.

Also feel like they should’ve checked for connections as soon as girls started dying the same way Crystal did?? Like if DJ committed multiple crimes and got rid of the body in the same way I feel like they would’ve found him sooner idk. I was also kind of uncomfortable with how fast Joe and Lila moved like bam now they’re together and that didn’t feel totally necessary; along with her trauma of rape just feeling like an add on to the story that wasn’t addressed. Very mysterious neighbor dream girl becomes my gf even tho she ignored me every time I said hi to her in the hall.

I did enjoy the narrators voice acting so at least there’s that.

The narration alone bumped this review up! It’s hard to find narrators I enjoy but daisy edgar jones and sam claflin did an amazing job (most likely due to their acting experience) they truly captured the characters and put feeling into what they were reading. The premise of this book was a fun idea and i loved every character.

This was a pretty interesting thriller mystery and I really enjoyed the forensic aspects of it. I think Livia was a well written character and enjoyed her discoveries and the investigating she did. But many of the female characters bothered me and there was a weird focus about weight/ sluttiness that felt dumb. It felt like something a man would write because that’s what he thinks teenage girls are like… which I didn’t particularly like. Also Nicole’s change in appearance felt very “it’s not a phase mom” and that also felt silly to me. Other than those small details I enjoyed the twists in this story.

I saw the father being the culprit as an easy read but it also felt wrong given all the descriptors the perpetrator should have. He seemed happy with his daughter even if he wasn’t happy in his marriage it seemed odd he would be doing that to girls his own daughters age but didn’t want to hurt her? like he was messed up but not so messed up he’d do anything to his daughter. Oh well!

Not that satisfied with the ending but at least the characters seem to be alright.

This book was the perfect amount of cozy, mysterious, dark academia and easy reading that I needed. I love a good stand alone that can rekindle my reading and make me want to pick up more books! I loved the focus of Effy throughout the book; with her struggles with the men that have done her harm, the prejudice and sexism of women in college and her specifically, and also her mental state and family troubles. The narrative of a woman who was not listened to countless times and disregarded in terms of academic capabilities is very real but it was nicely mixed in with a fairytale/ folk lore setting. I loved how Reid is able to create the perfect setting for this mystery; she truly has a way with words. I also loved all the poetic and literature aspects of the story. I loved this book!

I definitely wanted more of Effy and Preston tho, I enjoyed their dynamic from the start and am glad Effy found someone to stand by her and treat her well.

What a wonderful way to wrap up this series! This book put me through the wringer oml. It’s hard when both sides in a war have good reason for fighting. I enjoyed hearing both sides and was very happy with the ending.