I read this in like 3 hours? 😅 

I forgot that Tate is a SADIST with cliffhangers but luckily I have the next

If you sin, make it count.

4.5 stars

“Hemlock Queen,” Amelia scoffed. “Such a fierce name for someone ruled by fear. Who damned the world because she was afraid.”

So, most of this is spoilery for this book and book 1, so I’ll start with some general non-spoilery thoughts.

It sounded like something she’d heard before. All of this did, really—something that had happened before and would happen again.

I was using my brain so much in this book, trying to figure out what was happening and what would happen, even if some of it sounded obvious, other things were revealed and I was like well, there goes my theory and my IQ😂

Seems like allowing one god to tell all the stories before disappearing wasn’t the best plan.

It was a very solid book 2 and I am very very much needing book 3, especially after how the end was set up. We got more backstory and magic system explanations, which was long-awaited (well, not that long) and it was pretty satisfying, but that’s a spoiler, so I’ll wait.

“I could never lie to you, Gabe, could I? Not like you could lie to me.”

I flipped between liking Gabe and thinking he was a little bitch. It ended on me liking him so I guess that’s all that matters, but still, I need more growth from him.

The attraction between them was obvious. The want was there. But this situation was already fucked through all seven days without adding actual fucking to the equation.

The tension between Lore, Bastian, and Gabe is killing me slowly. This better end up happy otherwise I’ll riot. This also brings up the good queer rep in this book! I think the majority of characters are bi (or FF or MM pairings) and no one bats an eye. It’s nice to see it accepted in their society.

“I can take care of myself.”
“You have demonstrated over and over again that you absolutely cannot.”

Okay, so that’s not much but I don’t know what else to say without being spoilery so, spoilers below

“Neither Gabe nor Bastian answered, still staring at each other with a heat in their eyes that could mean anything.”

But, like, I need it to be MMF, but they love each other so much and are so tortured and I need it to not be feeling forced on them by the gods, because ohmygod that would be disappointing. Also, don’t be a love triangle in the end, 3 way or no way.

At first, Bastains behaviour was really pissing me off, but then Apollius is revealed and I was literally so happy that it was him being a controlling dick and not Bastian! Like, phew.

“There are two stages to truth. When you first know it, and when you finally speak it aloud to another.”

The way the gods were made!? That was shocking! A fountain, or the soul of the world? I actually laughed a little oops. I loved it though, it gave Apollius such character and I hate him so much more now! Hopefully, with Lore on her way to the Isles now she’ll get closer to finding a cure for them all.

“I will never be apart from you,” he said, the waters of the Fount streaming from his mouth. “You will be mine forever, and you will never speak against me, never share my secrets or betray me. You will never try to leave me, ever.”

But, let’s talk about Apollius…like, the most Ick man and Ick god. Wanting to conquer death by conquering the world too? Ick. The way he treated his friends (obviously not friends) and Nyxara (his possession, not a person, just an object of his ego) ICK

Caius is Jax!?

My jaw full on dropped when that was revealed! Hate that guy and he BETTER not end up marrying Alie, I will also riot.

And Alie is Bastians half sister!?

Literally, all the reveals throughout the book had me gasping 😂

“Part of him wants it,” Apollius whispered into her hair, like He could read her mind. “Wants the release, the rest, of letting Me take over.

Reading Bastian fighting for control with Apollius was so heartbreaking 😭 and learning how much control he didn’t actually have in the end, all the things kept from him😭

“He refuses water sometimes,” Gabe continued. “It’d been a hot day, that time you saw me here, and I was making sure he drank something.” The image of Gabe watering his mentor like a plant in a pot made her shudder.

The above spoilery quote - I almost spit my water out 😂
Anton. That creepy fucker. He deserved the end he got.

Okay, I’m gonna stop here, this is long enough 😂

Thank you to Orbit and the author for providing me with an ARC!!

I...what the fuck? 😅 

That ending was something else

 "A word of advice…The real deathdealers have morgues in the back. Death's scales are easy to tip."

4.5 stars

I think I’d classify this as a dark fantasy. If that’s not a thing, it should be and I have a bunch of books I want to change the genre of (in my mind).

A deep breath, an attempt to quell the fear. She wondered how her captors might react if she asked for chloroform again. A drugged sleep was preferable to this churn of anxiety, especially when her fate was all but sealed.

This was a really intriguing story. I was constantly trying to predict what would happen so that was fun, kept me on my toes. Lore was a solid FMC, I enjoyed her POV, minus her ability to forgive, I still don’t understand why FMCs are ALWAYS SO FORGIVING!?!?

Next to her, Gabe's shoulders loosened, tension sieving out of him like rain down a gutter. Maybe she looked relieved, too. Maybe both of them were always walking around like there were weights tied to their feet, and they'd never even noticed until someone cut the strings.

Anyway, I thought she had good depth and a good relationship with the other two main characters, Gabe, the tortured monk, and Bastian, the Sun Prince.

"Gabe isn't trying to use me," she said softly. "Gabe is trying to keep me safe."
The prince turned around with a rueful noise, shaking his head.
"Are you so accustomed to being used that you don't realize when it's happening, as long as it's done kindly?"
She had no answer for that.

^^^ This quote hit hard.

Gabe’s righteousness and unfounded, manipulated loyalty to Anton was a huge annoyance throughout the book, I like my MMC 100% for the FMCs, and Gabe just had to many conflicting loyalties for that, so I’m eager to see how this plays out.

"See, had you not just gone through something rather traumatic, I'd be making an off-color joke about that. As it is, I will let it lie. Please admire my restraint."

Bastian was great, the stereotypical playboy Prince until he wasn’t. He showed how much he cared for Lore more than Gabe did, and after the ending, well, I need to see how this ends up! Pleasedon’tletitbealovetrianglewithabadending

The magic system/world-building was interesting and quite unique, so that was refreshing.

A creaking sound cut him off as every corpse in the cavern sat up. As every corpse in the cavern twisted to look at them with dead, blank eyes.

And if it wasn’t obvious from a FMC who can control the essence of death…fucking zombie things.

Then the words cut off, and the dead began to scream.

THERE'S ALWAYS ZOMBIES

At least, until the bodies started moving. Jerky at first, dead limbs waking, and all of it synchronized as if it'd been rehearsed. The right arm rising, fingers flexing. Then the left leg, swinging over the side of the plinths. All the while still screaming, mouths still hanging open.
…
“Rude of them not to answer your questions before they started screaming,” Bastian said.

NOPE

Gabe didn't kiss like seduction. He kissed like he was starving, a hunger born from ill-fitting vows and anger and want.

Anyway, I recommend this book if you like adult fantasy that dark and moody.

Gabriel paled, as if the guard had just given him a live rat “You mean... you mean both of us are staying here?"
A nod from the bloodcoat. "On orders of the King, you and your cousin are both to stay in these apartments for the duration of the season.
Malcolm's dark brow rose.
Gabriel swallowed.
Lore rolled her eyes. “I promise not to impugn your virtue." 

 “What’s so special about her?”
She’s half-witch.
She’s hiding from something.
She’s starving.
She’s alone.
She needs us.
She’s mine.

This was a cute cozy paranormal romance set in a small town with wolves, witches, angels, and vampires.

Asking for help was like a root canal. Sometimes necessary, and always painful.

Jade was so fiercely independent throughout this book, which was nice, and West trying to not be a domineering alpha, and mostly failing, was fun to watch. I love banter, so two personalities like this are great.

“One of the many things that kept my dad busy in retirement was his unintentional bison sanctuary—he insisted they just kept showing up, and he named them all Willie.”

The side characters were super interesting, I’m looking forward to reading about them next. Heath and his…foods…and his Willie😂

“Relax,” he said, and I clenched my teeth. That was always his solution when I was stressed—to relax. Gee, thanks, hadn’t thought of that.

This could have been so much better without the cringy dialogue or long, internal monologues. The names for their wolves were childish and the constant Harry Potter references were annoying for many reasons. In this day and age, there’s no reason to use HP as a reference to pop culture anymore, it's just insulting, JKR is trash.

“Put away your stupid hormones and rip this guy to shreds. Not literally, though, please. I don’t want to go to jail.”

I know this was a spin-off series of the Deadlights Cove series but there were references, people, and relationships I didn’t understand because of that, so it shouldn’t be advertised as a series you can read before the other. There were just too many things that weren’t fully explained because it’s not its own series.

“He was trying to rattle me, and I was going to prove to him that I was unrattleable. Whatever the opposite of a rattlesnake was, that was me. A manatee, maybe. They seemed chill. I’d be chill as a freaking manatee.”

Minus all the stars for Jade not telling anyone about the texts and being dumb. Overall, not great but not bad either.

“I understand you want to stand on your own two feet, but that doesn’t mean someone can’t stand beside you. Can’t have your back.”

I’ve also come to realize that I don’t like my men morally grey, I like them morally black. The ending, for this reason, was a letdown.

“You look good enough to devour, mate,” he breathed in my ear, nibbling the shell of it. “I can’t wait to ruin this dress.”

Thank you to the authors and BOMM for providing me with an ARC.

 "I could spend ages learning you and it would never be enough. You are worth every risk, and every chance.”

This was a fun siren, pirate-esque book! Elise Kova never fails to write a good fantasy with an amazing plot and likable (and not-so-likable) characters.

“You should never lessen yourself to spite another. The best revenge is to thrive.”

This is the fourth book in the Married to Magic series, a set of interconnected standalones. I did a little squee when there were mentions from other books, “I know them” when that was pretty obvious 😂

“You are worthy of so much more than I, or anyone, could ever give. I could spend a lifetime giving to you, and it wouldn’t be enough”

Anyway, Victoria was a really great main character! She had a good, trauma-filled backstory (which makes me sound like a sadist, but it just makes the story better 😅) and as she progressed through the story it felt natural, her growth.

Sing for me, my heart says. One last time, sing for me.
Sing for me, he seems to echo, just as he had all those months ago.
And so I do.

Reading as she starts to lose herself to the Old Gods' songs was HEARTBREAKING 😭😭 Piece by piece was stripped from her and she was a ghost in the end 😭

“I can hear them now,” I say as I stare out into the Abyss. The Abyss stares back at me tonight. Waiting. Growing ever more impatient by the week.
“Hear what?” he asks from beside me.
“The songs of the dead,” I answer.
He’s silent for a long moment. I wonder if this information has displeased him. Finally, “What do they sound like?”
“Screams.”

Ilryth was just as broken as Victoria from the curse/sacrifice/his title, so watching them come together was great.

“First, we shall go pay our respects to Lady Lellia. Then, perhaps, I shall worship at the altar of your hips, should you be willing to have me.”

There was also some nice spice 🫠

Shifting, he takes both my hands, eyes never leaving mine, and positions them over my head—wrapping my fingers around a root above.
“Brace yourself,” he growls in my ear, hands moving to my hips.

Let’s not even talk about the almost ending where I was about to throw my tablet across the room because I thought it was the ending and I was screaming.

They sing tales of the human who took the mantle of a goddess. Of her lover who descended into the sea and was never heard from again.

But, luckily there was more 😂

One last note, the sirens have a sex beach. That’s all.

Thank you to the author for sending me this finished copy!! 

Okay.

So, I didn't really like this book. It had a super interesting concept, the FMC has an indecent that causes her to experience Face Blindness. She is a person who paints portraits, so yeah, that was an issue for her. I mean, kinda an issue for anyone, but especially for her.

Aside from the intriguing plot line, that's all I really liked.

Sadie had an Obsession with being independent, obsession with a capital O - never wanted help from anyone, even for minor little things.

Her dog: while I love dogs, and can talk about dogs all the time, this is a book and that gets old fast. She talked about her dog a lot, mostly his description and eating habits, it was annoying for some reason.

She is the biggest pushover. The Parker storyline was so unbelievable, like, what?? What were their interactions?? Was Parker an actual psychopath/sociopath and that's why she did all this?? So so dumb. And she "tries to forgive her"????? No! Some people DO NOT deserve forgiveness, just forget-ness. Cut her out of your life and never think about her again.

Why are book women (idk, maybe real-life women too) always so damn forgiving? Does no one have a backbone? Does no one expect an actual apology, just more of a "I'll get over it"

Now for some spoilers for the end. This is the reason for the 3.25 stars instead of 3 stars 😂

My initial thoughts:
What the fuck were the two guys? The vet and the neighbour? One guy who ghosted her on a date and the other who ghosted her at the end when she needed him?

“You never dumped me,” Joe said in amazement as it sank in. Then, correcting: “I mean, you did dump me. But you dumped me . . . for me.”
“And you never ghosted me. Or— you did, but only after I had broken up with you . . . without realizing it was you.”

My last thoughts:
What the fuckkkkkkk. Same guy???? What???? Literally, what?? Did other people realize that and only I didn't? My brain turned to mush when that was revealed, like, literal mush. I had to pause the audiobook (while I did receive an eARC, I listened to a library audiobook copy).

Overall, super interesting concept, poorly executed, but I wouldn't write it off completely.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book. I only read it like 8 months after it was released 😅 

I will never recover from this book.

Well, that was amazing. Ali, never stop writing please.

 It has been well over a year since I last spoke to a stranger (one of Arvist’s visiting friends, back when he was finishing his Apprenticeship–I said “good day”, attempted to flee, knocked over a vase containing what appeared to be one hundred paintbrushes, and then spent the next three days in my room weeping over my great humiliation)

I don’t even know what to write. This book was beautiful and perfect. Remarkable even (you’ll get that reference when you read the book 😂).

“Do know that up until the very last hour you can always write me to decline–or paste a sign on a window that simply reads “HENEREY, NO””

I loved the format of it - that was a brand new way of storytelling for me and I found it really fun. I felt like I was a part of the story, reading the letters, the back and forth, it was such an immersive experience!!

“In your absence, I have many possible pastimes to which I can affix my attention–natural history, baking, and even my sketching. I have taken a break from reading, however, as it sent me into an existential crisis as usual–there are so many books and so many ideas in the world, and how can I hope to understand, learn, or discover even a fraction of these wonders in my short life?”

“In fact, in reflecting upon the entire affair, I find myself scrupulously reviewing my every word and action over the course of the evening.”

Mental health is a big theme in this book, anxiety being one I relate to very strongly. I would say social anxiety was a huge theme, both for E. and Henerey. I thought it was portrayed beautifully, the spiral to E’s worries, fears, and thoughts, Henerey’s reluctance to socialize, E’s agoraphobia (or at least that’s what I got from the descriptions), it was all done so well.

“And I dare not even make a fair copy, because accessing rare volumes requires me to go into the Reading Room–which, despite the title, is more of a social gathering space than a room in which one accesses restricted books. There is only one small viewing table around which everyone must crowd, and you are forced to converse with your fellow readers the entire time. Even though you are supposed to be reading. Alas.”

I will definitely be recommending this book for its mental health rep.

“Do you think he is now back on his research vessel laughing about my oddities with some far superior individual with whom he would much rather spend his time?”

There were so many thoughts that E. and Henerey had that I went “same.” Her agonizing over past conversations, looking into conversations she had and questioning everything, I feel that constantly too, so it was so nice to see here.

“Even stopping in briefly for a mandatory appearance at the dinner parties our parents used to host when I was a young woman in my early twenties made me sick to my stomach, and I would spend days afterwards replaying and rewriting each word in my head until I was certain that I behaved abominably to everyone I encountered and that they would soon shame my name throughout all of Society.”


Thank you to Orbit and the author for providing me with this ARC!

____________________________

Excuse me it is 1am and I am now just finding out this is not a standalone and now I have to wait for eternity and what was that ending😭

This was beautiful. Review to come once I have a Brain (you’ll get that once you read this 😂) and go to sleep.