thesandyreader's Reviews (207)

This was another cute romance by Piper. The addition of Bodie, the kid, to the dynamic was adorable, and I loved experiencing them giving their love a second chance. 

And that ending scene… had me tearing up with happy tears. So perfect and adorable and I love the little family they make. 

I do wish there was a bit more to it - there’s a lot of emotions and struggles within these characters and I feel like we didn’t really get to see that and face that beyond a surface level acknowledgement that they exist. It is a romance which tends to be a lighter read, but I would have loved a bit more. 

The audiobook was incredible, and the same people voiced the characters as the rest of the series so it felt familiar and was so easy to sink into. I am loving the multiple voice actors within one book. 

I enjoyed reading this one. 

It started off feeling like a cozy fantasy, then turned into a save the world and mystery combination. The integration of gods & goddesses with the paranormal and humans was unique and I appreciated the variety of types of paranormals represented. 

With that said, it didn’t quite live up to what I was hoping for. While the stakes were high, it didn’t feel as urgent in the writing and I didn’t find myself as invested as I was hoping. I honestly really enjoyed the cosy fantasy beginning and would have loved to have more of that feel through the book - I don’t think it meshed well with a high stakes save the world twist and the attempt to merge the writing style to a more urgent feel. 

I did love the characters, though don’t feel I got a full enough scope of them to be totally invested. The characters were diverse and quirky and charming and I wish I had gotten to see all of them more, rather than distilling down to just the MC and one friend by halfway through the book. The MC also seems to be a very diverse vampire with varied interests and a unique backstory, but we don’t get much info on it. 

The hellcat was stinking adorable and the fact that there’s a whole side quest for it was elite reading. Obsessed with it. 

Overall, I did enjoy reading it and if you go into it with the mindset of a lower pressure easy read fantasy I think it is enjoyable. 

OKAAAY HELLOOOOO 🤤

I have learned two things from this audio book:

So yeah. This book has sold me on audiobooks. 

The narration was so dang good! I loved the swap back and forth from the male and female voices and lines, and especially the way that it made it feel so real and like I could really get lost in the book. 

The book itself - adorable. Predictable, yes, we all knew what was coming, but still just so adorable and I love the comfort in knowing a romance gets a HEA. I loved the way the two of them grew to support each other and become each others go-to unintentionally, and how she ends up bucking up, sitting everyone down, and stressing that it’s her life and she will live it the way she wants. 

Plus that meet cute… haven’t we all wanted to get picked up by a hot man at a wedding? (Or is that just me?)

Book: adorable ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Audiobook: necessary ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book did not go how I wanted it to go (in a complimentary way). I wanted the easy ending, the happy ending, for everything to work out nicely, and instead got twists and darkness and sadness. 😞

I loved it. 

I love watching Lark gain confidence, discover her heritage, and become a force to be reckoned with. 

I love watching the threads of history and goddesses tie in with the current story and reveal clues about what is going on. 

I love all the relationships with both humans and animals that are being built and strengthened. 

I love where this story is going despite it breaking my heart slowly and me wishing everything would just be okay. 

As always, Nina is continuing to write an incredible series that draws me in, has me emotionally invested, and leaves me excited for the next book. 

Book 2 once again leaves me gut wrenched, questioning motives and morality and politics and the world. How does she continue to do this? Wow. 

This one started slow. A lot of political maneuvering, war setup and planning, and finding allies. Kang always does a great job of setting context and really getting you to understand the complexities of what is going on. 

Rin, well. I was really damn frustrated with her for basically all of this book. I’m sick of her pretending to be a pawn, floating along with others decisions, and not using her own damn brain - especially as she is supposed to be one of the best in the country and went to school for this. Everyone is treating her like this super powerful weapon who is under their control and she’s treating herself like she deserves to be tossed in the ocean. It drove me insane and I wanted her to just buck up and take some control already. 

Overall, this was a less action packed book and very politics and ethics heavy. And the ending still tore me to pieces and broke my heart. This series really has no trouble diving into deep thought provoking topics under the guise of fantasy and it deserves to be talked about while reading it. It would have been so difficult to fully process and appreciate this book without chatting theories and outcomes 

Now THIS is a thriller!

Absolutely loved this book. The perspective switches from the trial to the POV of the murdering sister were so captivating and kept me picking up little threads and hints of who it might be based on little personal elements revealed about each sister. I especially loved that it wasn’t just about solving a who done it murder, but that we got the perspective and insight of the murderer herself to help understand everything. 

The slow reveal of information and backstory and character pieces allowed things to feel like they were slowly sliding into place, but whenever I thought I knew which sister it was, a new reveal had me second guessing and switching sides yet again. This book kept me second guessing up until the very last pages! It could have easily been either of them or both of them, and the book made sure you knew it. 

Well written, captivating story, and had me invested from start to finish. 

Highly recommend checking this one out. 

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book.

I liked the premise, I liked the writing, I liked the last 30% of it and the way it flowed.

The world building was elaborate and well described. It felt real and was easy to melt into. 

I enjoyed Phosphoria as the main character - her resolve to be a good queen and push through and her smart plans are interesting. Her inability to lie and need to answer a direct question is a fun twist in a book about royal politics where deception and twisting words are essentially required to accomplish anything. 

However, the book felt slow to start. The political machinations and getting to know the suitors felt very drawn out and I was unsure what the real aim was for most of the book. The book felt undirected, despite being well written with interesting threads being created. 

The ending was the real disappointment for me. I could have moved past the slower start, but it feels like the story didn’t end. They discover the betrayer and that’s it. That’s the end. There’s no confrontation, no reveal of what happened to him or their future moving forward. No discussion of the impact of the betrayal, whether their tactics worked out, nothing. Just identifying who it is. 

The book wasn’t finished. The threads never wrapped up. 

Ultimately, I am left disappointed. I had such high hopes for this book, and enjoyed reading it despite the slow build, but ultimately the ending wasn’t worth the time to read it because there was no ending. 

I received this as an ARC and I’m grateful for the opportunity to read it as it has much potential. 

I really wanted to love this book. It was cute, and I loved the premise, but I just wanted more out of it. 

There was a slow burn, and it was cute, but I wanted to feel more tension during it - the anticipation and let down. The internal thoughts and feelings of each of them. 

I loved their deal to help each other succeed, but I wish we got more of the pressure of it. It felt like friends hanging out, and I missed the tense transition from dislike to begrudging companions to friends. 

The twist was a nice change from the classic happily ever after, but I just wasn’t as emotionally invested as I wish I was when it happened. 

The writing was good, and the plot was cute. I enjoyed reading it. I just was hoping for more. 

I think my message to the author “How dare you write a book this good” sums up my feelings about this book well. 

I am destroyed and I loved every minute of it. 

The writing? Incredible. 

The characters? Emotionally invested. 

The spice and teasing lines? 🤤 Raw. Next Question. 

The plot? Easy to follow and intriguing until it all gets tossed out the window (that’s a compliment)

The ending? Will make you reread the last few chapters and want to throw your kindle at the wall and second guess everything. 

The next book? No I don’t know when it’s coming out but I am ANXIOUS to read it. 

I don’t know what more to say. If you like fantasy, bits of magic, a dash of spice, some incredible lines and Easter eggs… read this. 

I can’t tell you more because spoilers but ooh it’s good. 

Heartbreak and female badassary all in one book. 

Wow. This was… so sad. This book is Morgan becoming the Morgan Le Fay we all are familiar with and it broke my heart. 

So well written, the story weaves you in until you’re taking the same emotional hits Morgan is. The betrayals and heartbreak and determination all hits so strongly. 

I did enjoy watching Morgan grow and transform into a more firm version of herself who knows herself and what she wants. I just hated how she needed to. 

If you like Arthurian legends, you should read this.