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randi_jo's Reviews (420)
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
A cute book of essays about life and people examined through their shared hobby of knitting. Some were cute and sweet others kinda meh. In all I had a good time and learned that some people can knit and walk at the same time. π²
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Look, when your soulmate dies, like for real for real, I too would be a depressed, whiney little shit. Vanyel is probably newest favorite character in the Valdemar series.
The Witcher Official Cookbook: Provisions, Fare, and Culinary Tales from Travels Across the Continent
Anita Sarna, Karolina Krupecka
lighthearted
Cute, recipes look great and not overly complex, and offer both an entirely from scratch option as well as store bought options (ie. making your own sourdough). The narrative of it being like a culinary travelogue was really cute and fun.
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm not the biggest romance fan out there, but I really enjoyed this one with the slight litfic-ness to it with MC's introspection as she handles her challenges, while also bagging a hot guy (or two). Emotional but not too thirsty, this felt like a breath of fresh air to me and was super satisfying, even when the storyline hit all the romance tropes, including but not limited to the third act break-up scene.
The author's note at the back of the book is a great anthem for romance book lovers everywhere.
The author's note at the back of the book is a great anthem for romance book lovers everywhere.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Jesus, I don't know where to begin. I feel lied to and cheated - whoever marketed this book was probably a court assassin in a past life or something, slipping poison into goblets at celebration feasts.
Anyway there are so many trope icks in this book for me. I feel like the author singled me out, asked everything I hate in a book and then made this book but added playing with period blood. Just to list some of them:
π© Obviously the use of period blood, like ew. But ok plot reasons; don't do blood magic using self harm cuts because it makes you a target for witch hunts. Still ew.
π© Love triangle/hinge. MC must choose, oh no! One is the tall, dark, and brooding with a tragic past - physically strong! The other is lean, blonde, intellectual - her childhood friend! Ahh smell those tropes.
π© Oh yes, those two are brothers! Yesshe kisses them both!! And more! .
π© There is no mention of using protection in the smut scenes! This is YA! She lost her virginity! I don't care if it's not "realistic" it's fantasy! Use fake magic to prevent STDs! Sex safety for the Youth.
π© The fact that brosef Gideon feels the absolute NEED to have sex with someone to PROVE she has no scars is weird. Weirder, and CREEPY is that random ass chick Harrow keeps PUSHING FOR HIM TO HAVE SEX WITH HER? I know it's for PLOT AND ROMANCE reasons, but how fucking creepy?? Peer pressuring people into doing the deed is ew.
π© Why is there a duo named Gideon and Harrow, anyway? Is this a hat tilt to Muir's Locked Tomb series? It's distracting as fuck.
π© A bro literallydies and all people can say is "oopsies" and they leave it at that? Like no one blames anyone for this outright murder ? Not even a why the fuck did you DO that?? Just "she wasn't paying attention"? Christ.
π© The font! It's huge! I thought I had a large print book! Nothing crazy, but what a waste of paper. This book should not be anything over 300 pages. It's THAT large.
π© Short chapters. I don't think a single chapter was over 10 pages long. WITH HUGE FONT. I accidentally skipped an entire chapter because two pages got stuck together. Weirdly upsetting.
π© The plot was ridiculously easy to predict, and as much as I like to be right, reading for plot heavy books (because let's be honest, the characters here only exist to bang) is not one of them. To go into more spoilery areas...
Anyway there are so many trope icks in this book for me. I feel like the author singled me out, asked everything I hate in a book and then made this book but added playing with period blood. Just to list some of them:
π© Obviously the use of period blood, like ew. But ok plot reasons; don't do blood magic using self harm cuts because it makes you a target for witch hunts. Still ew.
π© Love triangle/hinge. MC must choose, oh no! One is the tall, dark, and brooding with a tragic past - physically strong! The other is lean, blonde, intellectual - her childhood friend! Ahh smell those tropes.
π© Oh yes, those two are brothers! Yes
π© There is no mention of using protection in the smut scenes! This is YA! She lost her virginity! I don't care if it's not "realistic" it's fantasy! Use fake magic to prevent STDs! Sex safety for the Youth.
π© The fact that brosef Gideon feels the absolute NEED to have sex with someone to PROVE she has no scars is weird. Weirder, and CREEPY is that random ass chick Harrow keeps PUSHING FOR HIM TO HAVE SEX WITH HER? I know it's for PLOT AND ROMANCE reasons, but how fucking creepy?? Peer pressuring people into doing the deed is ew.
π© Why is there a duo named Gideon and Harrow, anyway? Is this a hat tilt to Muir's Locked Tomb series? It's distracting as fuck.
π© A bro literally
π© The font! It's huge! I thought I had a large print book! Nothing crazy, but what a waste of paper. This book should not be anything over 300 pages. It's THAT large.
π© Short chapters. I don't think a single chapter was over 10 pages long. WITH HUGE FONT. I accidentally skipped an entire chapter because two pages got stuck together. Weirdly upsetting.
π© The plot was ridiculously easy to predict, and as much as I like to be right, reading for plot heavy books (because let's be honest, the characters here only exist to bang) is not one of them. To go into more spoilery areas...
It was obvious from early on that Cressida wasn't dead because Alex didn't kill her. She was literally the only character ever posed to be even a POSSIBLE villain. Literally who else could it be? The only other witches in the whole fucking story are Rune, who we have the POV of, and Seraphine who's in fucking prison lol. There was zero chance of Alex surviving this trope heavy book. Obviously he is an obstacle to the Rune/Gideon pairing and he needed to be gone! The second Rune accepted his proposal I knew he was dead. And I was right!! I'm a wizard! Verity was so obviously Cressida the second Cressida's mark appeared at the dinner scene. The entire book the prose was "he is so tempting but he is my enemy! I must save witches to atone for my grandma! Verity's perfume is stronk af. Why is Gideon so hot and dark and spicy? Wowowow." Like the second something other than sexual frustration and the repetitive BS about Rune trying to get herself killed or whatever, the foreshadowing hints become like BEACONS. This was solidified the very second it was Verity's face in the criminal sketch, making the probability of her being the villain from like 80% to 100%. Ugh.
The ending was ok. . . it left a lot to be answered in book 2, but to be honest I'll probably just mine reviews and summaries for what happens next, if I even remember by the time it comes out. I am just not interested in carving out even another day of time for this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Torture, Blood
funny
reflective
fast-paced
funny