soulfullyalex's Reviews (383)

 

Oh where do I even start with this one. This book sucked me in and hooked me. For starters I really enjoyed the characters. Tharon was complicated and her decisions were complicated. This was definitely a classic fantasy with all the political issues that come along with warring kingdoms, but we had the complications of shared history between those two kingdoms. I will say in the start I did not like Tharon, simply for the fact that she was so driven by violence and anger. We follow two timelines, one where Tharon and Roswynd are kids and the present timeline. Over time we learn more about both characters and what as made them the way they are in the present. In the present Tharon is driven by her anger and thirst for revenge. She is hard and cold, very different from the girl we meet in the past timeline.

Roswynd is equally changed by the ten years of war between the two families and losing her best friend. It was really interesting to see her have to navigate seeing Tharon again, when they are married, and be married to her former best friend. Watching the two of them navigate that situation was infuriating in the best way. I wanted to scream at them for not just talking to each other. I think it was nice that there were two timelines and we got some context on the relationship between Tharon and Roswynd. I personally enjoyed the present timeline better but that’s mostly because I was desperate to know what would happen next. I did, however, like seeing how the two grew and changed and how their relationship to each other changed. It helped in understanding the dynamic between them.

Okay, without spoilers I just have to mention the ending, because that cliffhanger! I mean… I’m dying to know what happens next! I honestly, didn’t expect the story to go that way. I had an idea that things would hit the fan, simply because the whole reason for their marriage and their motivations meant it was bound to happen, but I did not expect what would unfold and it made me nearly scream that I couldn’t just keep reading. Needless to say, I am going to be desperately waiting for part 2.

 

I really enjoyed this short novella. I am learning that I am a fan of second chance romances and this one was a good one. I really liked that we got a bit of a hint of the relationship between Finn and Vivi’s relationship before Finn was released and their second chance started. I also really enjoyed how the characters were trying to navigate a complicated situation but wanting to be together.

I thought that the awkward moments and making assumptions felt real between the two, as they both had pasts and assumptions, but hadn’t been able to talk to each other about their feelings when they were at the prison. Honestly, I wish that I could have learned more about Finn and Vivi, their lives with and without each other. This book could have been 100 pages more and I would have eaten it up.

For a novella though, it really satisfied the desire to read a second chance romance, between two women with complicated lives and how they were going to navigate being in each others lives. I really enjoyed this one and would totally recommend it to anyone who likes F/F second chance romances. 

 

I desperately wanted this book to be a 5 star, because it had everything I love in books. It had magic, chaotic awkward boys, and adorable dating, but there were some things that didn’t do it for me. To start I will say that I really loved both A.B. and Matthew. I really enjoyed the complexities of both these characters. Being a celebrity with anxiety, while dealing with being out and bi-erasure is complicated and frustrating, but I really loved how A.B. was depicted. I also really enjoyed how Matthew was depicted. He is such a sweet soul, looking for love, and watching him explore his sexuality and his feelings for A.B. was really sweet and totally chaotic.

I loved how real both characters felt. I think the confusion and trying to ignore his feelings Matthew was dealing with felt really authentic to how some people experience their sexuality and discovering their feelings for someone. I also really liked how sure A.B. was that he didn’t want a relationship and how he navigated his feelings about past relationships and his feelings for Matthew.

One thing I think this book suffered from was having too many things going on in one book. For starters, the chapters were divided between A.B. and Matthew’s point of views, but it didn’t always feel like an even divide. Sometimes it felt like there was more focus on one character than the other and it almost felt like one character should have been chosen as the point of view and left it at that. I think there were also a lot of things going on and it made things feel a little bit rushed. A.B. is dealing with a lot personally, Matthew is discovering his sexuality, A.B. is also dealing with celebrity, and Matthew is tackling homophobia in the hockey industry. I think my main issue was that there were so many topics and issues being discussed and focused on that it felt like none of them were not given enough time to develop and progress.

Overall, I did really enjoy this book. I think it would have been a better read for me if a few of the topics were cut down and there was more focus on one topic. Honestly, I think it could have been a good start to a series or duology where one topic was focused on per book. I would absolutely still recommend this to anyone who like urban fantasy, bi awakenings, and boys being cute while falling for each other.