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tshepiso's Reviews (740)
Albert was one of my favourite characters from in half a Soul so I loved seeing a slice of his POV here. His friendship with Elias and time at war was something pretty well articulated in the novel but getting a few more specific details was nice.
Cosmoknights Vol. 2 is as fun as the first. Here Hannah Templar expands on her worldbuilding as we begin to grasp the complexities of the political landscape of the galaxy. But what ties it all together is our wonderful set of characters.
In this volume we see a lot more strife for our girls. Cass and Bee are at their wits ends with each other as they struggle to accommodate new members into their crew. There's brewing animosity between Kate and recently saved (or kidnapped) princess Scottie. And Pan is stewing in guilt over the uncertain fate of the princess she rescued years ago.
Templer teases out these threads of conflict really well throughout the volume. While the fighting between characters could become tedious Templer knows how to play people's different energies well against each other and that conflict ultimately brings our crew closer together and feeling more like a family than before.
I'd say my only critique is not much was covered in this volume. Our primary antagonistic force in this volume while cool and tied into character arcs pretty well wasn't very connected to the princess problem introduced in the series. In terms of overarching plot development our story hasn't moved much. And while the character interactions were stellar I'm hoping future volume see our leads taking more decisive action.
Overall the character interactions were consistently engaging and between that and the ever stunning art Cosmoknights continued to be a delightful breezy read. Fingers crossed for a new volume sooner rather than later.
In this volume we see a lot more strife for our girls. Cass and Bee are at their wits ends with each other as they struggle to accommodate new members into their crew. There's brewing animosity between Kate and recently saved (or kidnapped) princess Scottie. And Pan is stewing in guilt over the uncertain fate of the princess she rescued years ago.
Templer teases out these threads of conflict really well throughout the volume. While the fighting between characters could become tedious Templer knows how to play people's different energies well against each other and that conflict ultimately brings our crew closer together and feeling more like a family than before.
I'd say my only critique is not much was covered in this volume. Our primary antagonistic force in this volume while cool and tied into character arcs pretty well wasn't very connected to the princess problem introduced in the series. In terms of overarching plot development our story hasn't moved much. And while the character interactions were stellar I'm hoping future volume see our leads taking more decisive action.
Overall the character interactions were consistently engaging and between that and the ever stunning art Cosmoknights continued to be a delightful breezy read. Fingers crossed for a new volume sooner rather than later.
The Marquis Who Mustn’t was a charming read. Our leads Naomi and Kai were likeable and compelling romantic leads. And, like its predecessor The Duke Who Didn’t, I especially appreciated the parent child relationships explored throughout the novel. Unfortunately however I found aspects of its construction a tad clunky.
As with most Milan novels we establish the interior struggles of our lead Naomi early. She feels trapped by expectations of her community to follow directly in the footsteps of her mother despite her personal ambitions to do more than run her family's inn. Naomi eventually realizes complexities of her mother beyond the narrow box she pigeonholed her in. And that conversation between Naomi and her mother was really well done. However this arc didn't feel successfully woven through the narrative. Naomi and her mom really only have one conversation to clarify their misunderstanding and the conflict is immediately dropped. And while I appreciate Milan's exploration of ace identity in this novel that point similarly felt like something that could have been better signposted and explored throughout the novel.
Don’t get me wrong the romance itself was solid. Naomi and Kai were a sweet couple and I fully bought into their growing affection for each other and the angst keeping them apart. Naomi and Kai's connection felt real, their bonding over their similarly fraught relationships with their parents was engaging. I really liked Milan's take on a fake engagement story. She often sidestepped the obvious points of conflict in those types of stories and that did well to sell Kai and Naomi's bond. However if I could quibble with one point Kai's insistence on the misuse of the word fraud added a layer of convolution to the ending I didn't love.
Overall The Marquis Who Mustn't was a solidly fun read. I had some problems with the plotting but overall had a good time with it. I can wait to get another installment of The Wedgeford Trails series (fingers crossed it's an Andrew book).
As with most Milan novels we establish the interior struggles of our lead Naomi early. She feels trapped by expectations of her community to follow directly in the footsteps of her mother despite her personal ambitions to do more than run her family's inn. Naomi eventually realizes complexities of her mother beyond the narrow box she pigeonholed her in. And that conversation between Naomi and her mother was really well done. However this arc didn't feel successfully woven through the narrative. Naomi and her mom really only have one conversation to clarify their misunderstanding and the conflict is immediately dropped. And while I appreciate Milan's exploration of ace identity in this novel that point similarly felt like something that could have been better signposted and explored throughout the novel.
Don’t get me wrong the romance itself was solid. Naomi and Kai were a sweet couple and I fully bought into their growing affection for each other and the angst keeping them apart. Naomi and Kai's connection felt real, their bonding over their similarly fraught relationships with their parents was engaging. I really liked Milan's take on a fake engagement story. She often sidestepped the obvious points of conflict in those types of stories and that did well to sell Kai and Naomi's bond. However if I could quibble with one point Kai's insistence on the misuse of the word fraud added a layer of convolution to the ending I didn't love.
Overall The Marquis Who Mustn't was a solidly fun read. I had some problems with the plotting but overall had a good time with it. I can wait to get another installment of The Wedgeford Trails series (fingers crossed it's an Andrew book).
Despite having smidgen of debut novel clunk I really enjoyed Hell Followed with Us. Surprisingly enough I found much of Andrew Joseph White's writing inscrutable. He plays with metaphors and biblical imagery in a way that was fairly challenging for me to parse. But in spite of my semi-frequently confusion at the mechanics of Hell Followed with Us's horror elements I was enraptured by it nonetheless. There was a rhythmic visceral quality to the writing that drew me in. And White's stark exploration of religious trauma and the literalizing of the horrors of the violence of evangelicalism was deeply engrossing.
What caught me most off guard was how much I connected with White's exploration of religious trauma. I've previously failed to connect to books using speculative elements as religious metaphors . But something about this book really stuck with me however I can't really pin down exactly what it was. Maybe the near future post-apocalyptic setting or the the body horror. Hell Followed with Us simply reeled me in and kept me hooked through its stomach churning descriptions and evocative emotionality.
In the end I really enjoyed this one. Again I do think there could have been a tad more refinement. I found the supporting cast to be especially lacking in detail. But overall it was a really good read. I already had more of Andrew Jospeh White's books on the tbr and this outing has put them higher on the priority list.
What caught me most off guard was how much I connected with White's exploration of religious trauma. I've previously failed to connect to books using speculative elements as religious metaphors . But something about this book really stuck with me however I can't really pin down exactly what it was. Maybe the near future post-apocalyptic setting or the the body horror. Hell Followed with Us simply reeled me in and kept me hooked through its stomach churning descriptions and evocative emotionality.
In the end I really enjoyed this one. Again I do think there could have been a tad more refinement. I found the supporting cast to be especially lacking in detail. But overall it was a really good read. I already had more of Andrew Jospeh White's books on the tbr and this outing has put them higher on the priority list.
I was absolutely entranced by Olivia Atwater’s Half a Soul. I’m becoming more and more picky with romances so discovering a story that filled me up with butterflies is such a treat. It's rare I read a single POV romance without yearning for insights into the co-lead but Atwater here crafted such a compelling lead that effortlessly carried the story. I was utterly charmed by Dora the odd, often overlooked and cruelly treated girl. Atwater has discussed how much of Dora’s characterization is inspired by her own neurodivergence and while I’m not autistic I especially felt a deep empathy with the ways Dora felt removed from the people around her and hurt for the ways she was forced to mold herself into an acceptable woman to be tolerated by her relations.
That deep connection with Dora made her relationship with Elias all the more engaging. These two’s chemistry is so electric on the page. From their initial barbs and banter to the way they come to allow themselves to vulnerable with each other, their matching passions for fighting against injustice and righteous desire to help. Seeing them come together was a treat because Atwater crafted two leads that felt like they fit together perfectly. I loved seeing Dora shed the masks social conventions forced on her around Elias. And I equally adored seeing Elias allow himself to be his most vulnerable and passionate around Dora. Just the perfect couple.
Similarly to The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno Garcia I wouldn’t recommend reading this book for is fantastical elements. While they play a role in the story our primary setting is regency England with the magical elements being accents to a romance plot. Even so I was intrigued by Atwater's depictions of the Fae. They're fundamentally inhuman and cruel without passion or malice, in a way that was truly unsettling. Dora's time with them and their indecipherable social customs was fascinating to contrast with the ways regency England's social customs were occasionally equally as arbitrary and cruel.
Unfortunately Half a Soul really let me down with its ending.Dora's main drive in this novel is attempting to cure her condition of having half a soul and while the initial ending of the novel sees her sacrificing her attempt to restore her soul for the sake of saving others the epilogue states she eventually "fixes" her condition by returning to faerie. That conclusion to me really undermines the themes of the story. Throughout the novel Dora discovers there's nothing fundamentally wrong with her. That it's in fact the world that refuses to see her full personhood that's wrong. So for her happily ever after to be her eventually "fixing" herself feels so wrong. Especially when Olivia Atwater has stated that Dora is an autistic coded character.
Further the story also tackles the systemic injustices faced by the working poor in regency London. Throughout the novel Dora and Elias are overcome by their helplessness in solving these systemic injustices but ultimately resolve themselves to helping the people they can. So for the epilogue to also claim they completely abandoned earth to live joyfully in faerie also betrays what to me was the whole point of the novel. Frankly I'm baffled that Atwater would end the story this way at all given the rest of the story, and for my own sanity I think i just have to treat the last paragraph of the epilogue as not canon.
99.9% of Half a Soul was absolutely delightful. Honestly given how much I adored the vast majority of this book it kind of hurts my spirit that it ended on a sour note. Hopefully with time the lasting memories I have of this book will be of its tender romance charming protagonist rather than its incongruent ending.
That deep connection with Dora made her relationship with Elias all the more engaging. These two’s chemistry is so electric on the page. From their initial barbs and banter to the way they come to allow themselves to vulnerable with each other, their matching passions for fighting against injustice and righteous desire to help. Seeing them come together was a treat because Atwater crafted two leads that felt like they fit together perfectly. I loved seeing Dora shed the masks social conventions forced on her around Elias. And I equally adored seeing Elias allow himself to be his most vulnerable and passionate around Dora. Just the perfect couple.
Similarly to The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno Garcia I wouldn’t recommend reading this book for is fantastical elements. While they play a role in the story our primary setting is regency England with the magical elements being accents to a romance plot. Even so I was intrigued by Atwater's depictions of the Fae. They're fundamentally inhuman and cruel without passion or malice, in a way that was truly unsettling. Dora's time with them and their indecipherable social customs was fascinating to contrast with the ways regency England's social customs were occasionally equally as arbitrary and cruel.
Unfortunately Half a Soul really let me down with its ending.
Further the story also tackles the systemic injustices faced by the working poor in regency London. Throughout the novel Dora and Elias are overcome by their helplessness in solving these systemic injustices but ultimately resolve themselves to helping the people they can. So for the epilogue to also claim they completely abandoned earth to live joyfully in faerie also betrays what to me was the whole point of the novel. Frankly I'm baffled that Atwater would end the story this way at all given the rest of the story, and for my own sanity I think i just have to treat the last paragraph of the epilogue as not canon.
99.9% of Half a Soul was absolutely delightful. Honestly given how much I adored the vast majority of this book it kind of hurts my spirit that it ended on a sour note. Hopefully with time the lasting memories I have of this book will be of its tender romance charming protagonist rather than its incongruent ending.
Started on: February 27th, 2024
DNF'd on: February 29th, 2024
DNF'd at: 47%
I tried so very hard to like 10 Things That Never Happened but literally everything about it annoyed me.
Firstly the premise was so contrived I know some people like a wacky romance but for me a contemporary romance should be in some ways grounded in reality. So the idea of your boss letting you live with him for an indefinite period of time because he thinks you have amnesia was just too beyond the pale of believability for me to get on board with.
Maybe the book still could have worked if I liked Sam and Jonathan's dynamic but unfortunately i found most of their scenes together insufferable. This is unfortunately one of those books that thinks incessant bickery is witty banter so all of the time our leads spent together was like nails on a chalkboard. And to make matters worse Hall fills the book with an endless stream of "quirky" characters that are supposed to be funny and charming but are just as annoying as our leads.
Honestly I'm beginning to think the Alesis Hall books I liked may have just been a fluke because so many of their novels I;'ve tried have been colossal failures.
DNF'd on: February 29th, 2024
DNF'd at: 47%
I tried so very hard to like 10 Things That Never Happened but literally everything about it annoyed me.
Firstly the premise was so contrived I know some people like a wacky romance but for me a contemporary romance should be in some ways grounded in reality. So the idea of your boss letting you live with him for an indefinite period of time because he thinks you have amnesia was just too beyond the pale of believability for me to get on board with.
Maybe the book still could have worked if I liked Sam and Jonathan's dynamic but unfortunately i found most of their scenes together insufferable. This is unfortunately one of those books that thinks incessant bickery is witty banter so all of the time our leads spent together was like nails on a chalkboard. And to make matters worse Hall fills the book with an endless stream of "quirky" characters that are supposed to be funny and charming but are just as annoying as our leads.
Honestly I'm beginning to think the Alesis Hall books I liked may have just been a fluke because so many of their novels I;'ve tried have been colossal failures.
Think of England was a delightful country house mystery and historical romance. KJ Charles knows how to write a romp and this blend of romance and gentlemen spy shenanigans was pure fun to dive into.
Don’t get me wrong I was wary of Think of England at first. In it we follow veteran and resident “man’s man” Archie Curtis as he vacations at his uncle’s country house investigating potential shady business dealings. His perspective is very much of the time as initially cast aspersions on his love interest the 'foreign'-looking and foppish poet Daniel da Silva. As much as I love historical settings I don’t read HR to experience bigotries of the time, especially from our hero. However, I’m happy to say Charles unpacks Archie’s prejudices in a meaningful way. As we spend more time with him and he spends more time with Daniel the story thoroughly explores Archie’s own internalized homophobia and his relationship to masculinity and sexuality. We even go further unpacking Archie’s own PTSD and feelings of worthlessness as a result of being disabled by injury.
And there lies where KJ Charles always shines, engaging character writing. Archie and Daniel’s romance while initially rocky was engaging because of her innate ability to tease out the humanity of her characters. My favourite moments between our two leads were when they shed their preconceived notions as they got to know each other. I loved seeing Daniel learn Archie is more than a shallow lad’s lad when they connect over Daniel’s poetry. There’s something so beautiful about the insight Archie gains of Daniel through his art and seeing him be moved by it and unreservedly express that admiration was lovely. Archie seeing beyond the foppish figure Daniel constructs for himself to see his cunning and bravery underneath was such a wonderful arc. Charles is master at conveying tenderness and intimacy and those moments between these two were heart melting.
It also helps that the set up that leads to their romance is just pure fun. Think of England is easily my favourite of KJ Charles' novels so far because of its skillful blending of the mystery and romance plot. Quickly after their arrival Archie and Daniel discover they’re both at the manor for similar reasons and are forced to work together to uncover the mystery. The circumstances their forced into because of this unlikely partnership were both bonkers and incredibly fun. Charles expertly uses the escalating stakes of the mystery to push our leads into more and more precarious situations that reveal the truth of their romantic feelings for one another.
In the end Think of England is a perfect romanced wrapped in a fun mystery led by engaging characters and I wouldn’t ask for anything more.
Don’t get me wrong I was wary of Think of England at first. In it we follow veteran and resident “man’s man” Archie Curtis as he vacations at his uncle’s country house investigating potential shady business dealings. His perspective is very much of the time as initially cast aspersions on his love interest the 'foreign'-looking and foppish poet Daniel da Silva. As much as I love historical settings I don’t read HR to experience bigotries of the time, especially from our hero. However, I’m happy to say Charles unpacks Archie’s prejudices in a meaningful way. As we spend more time with him and he spends more time with Daniel the story thoroughly explores Archie’s own internalized homophobia and his relationship to masculinity and sexuality. We even go further unpacking Archie’s own PTSD and feelings of worthlessness as a result of being disabled by injury.
And there lies where KJ Charles always shines, engaging character writing. Archie and Daniel’s romance while initially rocky was engaging because of her innate ability to tease out the humanity of her characters. My favourite moments between our two leads were when they shed their preconceived notions as they got to know each other. I loved seeing Daniel learn Archie is more than a shallow lad’s lad when they connect over Daniel’s poetry. There’s something so beautiful about the insight Archie gains of Daniel through his art and seeing him be moved by it and unreservedly express that admiration was lovely. Archie seeing beyond the foppish figure Daniel constructs for himself to see his cunning and bravery underneath was such a wonderful arc. Charles is master at conveying tenderness and intimacy and those moments between these two were heart melting.
It also helps that the set up that leads to their romance is just pure fun. Think of England is easily my favourite of KJ Charles' novels so far because of its skillful blending of the mystery and romance plot. Quickly after their arrival Archie and Daniel discover they’re both at the manor for similar reasons and are forced to work together to uncover the mystery. The circumstances their forced into because of this unlikely partnership were both bonkers and incredibly fun. Charles expertly uses the escalating stakes of the mystery to push our leads into more and more precarious situations that reveal the truth of their romantic feelings for one another.
In the end Think of England is a perfect romanced wrapped in a fun mystery led by engaging characters and I wouldn’t ask for anything more.
Treasure is such a frustrating novella. On the one hand I was instantly charmed by our two leads. Trisha and Alexis are lovely characters. Their immediate attraction and sweet butterfly fueled mutual attraction and eventual romance was delightful to read.
However it was really difficult to get through this story because despite having gripping leads this novella was sorely lacking in structure. Similarly to another of Rebekah Weatherspoon's books, Rafe, Treasure felt more like a selection of scenes chronologically put together than a story. The romance had no thrust or forward momentum, character motivations were clunkily dropped into the narrative between sex scenes and nothing was meaningful expanded on or elaborated on the page.
And those threads dropped into the story were interesting. I liked hearing about Trisha's complicated relationship with her mother and Alexis' mental health issues and anxieties. But Weatherspoon failed to craft a romance that richly explored these facets of the characters. Treasure unfortunately read like an early draft. There's some true gems buried under there but it needed some serious shaping to truly shine.
However it was really difficult to get through this story because despite having gripping leads this novella was sorely lacking in structure. Similarly to another of Rebekah Weatherspoon's books, Rafe, Treasure felt more like a selection of scenes chronologically put together than a story. The romance had no thrust or forward momentum, character motivations were clunkily dropped into the narrative between sex scenes and nothing was meaningful expanded on or elaborated on the page.
And those threads dropped into the story were interesting. I liked hearing about Trisha's complicated relationship with her mother and Alexis' mental health issues and anxieties. But Weatherspoon failed to craft a romance that richly explored these facets of the characters. Treasure unfortunately read like an early draft. There's some true gems buried under there but it needed some serious shaping to truly shine.
Confirms my theory that dual POV always improves a nomance. I adored getting a peak into Daniel's POV even for a brief 12 pages.
- Stated on: February 21st, 2024
- Finished on: February 22nd, 2024
- Finished at: 51%
I was curious about Aveda Vice because I'd heard good things but ultimately her writing just didn't click with me. I'm generally on board for D/S vibes and I'm open to monsterfucker stuff in general but but there was something about Vice's dirty talk especially that hit the wrong buttons.
There were some things about the book I did like. The set up for Skin was interesting I love mutual pining and the established history of our two leads was especially interesting. But as solid as the character work was at the end of the day if the smut doesn't hit it doesn't hit so I had to tap out.