Mairin

All the vibes!!!

I get Peter Pan vibes and I LOVE IT

The characters are just so warm and complex. I particularly loved the financial between the siblings. And how the relationship bloomed from dislike lovers was masterful.

This is the perfect YA I like not too much angst not too much sex and yet the relationships are deep of not deeper without the smut.

The whole time I was listening to it I was a giddy grin on my face. Such a warm book.

Highly anticipating book 2.

This is the sweetest story.

A romance that has equal plot, worldbuilding, and character development.

And EDWIN AND ROBBIE!

I would die for them. They are my Joe to my ox. The Sam to Frodo. THE couple.

The plot really enhances the romance in the best way. Edwin and Robbie both are well developed, interesting characters. I loved reading about them both.
And Edwin is just the best. So awkward and book smart. I love him.

It did surprise me this had spicy scenes in it but they worked well with the story and complimented both characters on their arcs. it was sweet and awkward.

I did like how it ended. I have found alot of fantasy romance focus too much on the romance and net on the plot but it was int the case here.

I highly enjoyed this book. I want more from this plot and characters.

I cannot fathom into words how this book made me feel. Fuck it was good.

It was okay.

I didn't care about the characters as much as I did in the first one. Not a lot happened and I picked this up and down for about 3 weeks before the library hood went back.
The ending was good but I left feeling like I wanted more. I should have cared a lot more when I just didn't. At all.
2.5

I went in expecting to hate it.

Turns out I'm a whore for Eros.

This story had a more build up to the relationship and seeing them both grow with a hint of threat was nice.

Psyche is a great characters and a plus for a plus sized character without the toxicity of it that society liked to paste on plus sized people.

I spent half my time laughing at the banter and their relationship. Not bad for a book I expected to hate.


If you didn't like neon gods I'd suggest this even just for Eros.

This book started strong. I enjoyed the characters and the different views they brought to the story even if I disliked the romance plot between them. To me, these characters locked chemistry that made me believe they were at tracked to each other.
I did however expert more from Toraine. Shedidat learn too much from her mistakes and to see little to no progress from her storyline was annoying to read through.
There were moments toward the end of the story where I felt the intention was for me, as a leader, to heel deep emotion and it failed. I had little emotion for the story or the characters.
It was advent story and love the magic system. Toraine's Mum is a force to be reckoned with by and for the favourite and the life of the book
There was one scene that left he wanting for the rest of the book. I had thought, expected as it was mentioned so many times that they would cross the river to The Cursed City but we never did. it left me feeling so disappointed

One of the most anticipated books of the year for me, I was dying to get my hands on it and better yet it was a gift from the Brother.

I love the world in this series. The viking type culture, the death and bloodshed, the F*ck off huge beasts and gods. All of it. Gimme. I'll eat it up.

I wanted to read the physical for this book but as I had so little time I couldn't resist getting the audio. And I'm glad I did.

Plot threads are starting to come together, the stakes have been raised.

Varg has come a long way since Shadow of the Gods. he's grown on me as a character, and how he values his friendships now. He's such a little gem.
Elvar... I'm worried about where she is going to go. She stepped up in this book as well, and took charge of herself. Following her and the battlegrim is a tale of its own. Add a God to the mix and it gets better. Her character is complex enough to show that people can be good and still have their faults.
Now Orka. Orka Orka ORKA. SHE IS MY ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE. I'm on the edge of my seat reading about her. Hunting after her son is such a heart wrenching tale and left me crying at work.

Gwynne is very good a endings not so much at middles. It lacked a little spark for me but the characters and me knowledge that the ending was going to be EPIC pulled me through.

I expected more from this book. I loved the devil makes three but this fell a bit flat in places.


The narration had a big part in why I didn't love this book. If you are going to set a book in England at least get a narrator who can do an English accent

Overall this book was whelming. Just fine. Okay. There were parts I loved like the goblin market and how dark it is but the characters and their relationships between each other needed more depth. The flashbacks of May's past again needed more feeling and strength in the fear and conflict but it did work. I predicted a lot of what happened but it didn't take away much of the enjoyment.

I did want more of a horror aspect to this book than we got.

If I had physically read this book I would have liked it a lot more.

3.5 stars.

I knew I knew this was going to make me cry.

First lets talk about the ending. What an ending!
There was no other way for it to end and it was bitter sweet and sad and perfect.
The relationships hold this series together. I think of what Joren went from the beginning of this series to the end and it leaves me full of such love for this character who I hated at first. Such a large character arc, and loved every second of Joren story.

Lucky Meas the Gullime ! What they did in this book, the friendship they have with Joren— I cry thinking about it.

This book still surprised me. Even though I knew what the ending was most likely to be, I was still shocked at the betrayal in this book. And RJ Barker managed to get me to feel something for a character I hated in so little time.


A perfect end to a a series for an excellent story. I immediately wanted to read the whole series again.
One of the best books I have read.

For a hyped series this book falls flat.

I loved the first two books, but within this instalment it story's of big, right where AKOFAF leaves off. It's packed with action and twists until after the first 30%. Then it slows drastically and drags. Things are explained that don't need to be and the strange purple monster things that appear seem to be there to break the sag in the story and that's it.

And OMG all the TALKING!

Within this sagging middle things are repeated of what happened in AKOFAF which isn't needed. Meeting a god was cool but also pointless. The sex was meh.

And for those wondering. There is no JOINING! Which I was really hoping for.


Then the last 15% picks up. But the “big plan” fails and it's obvious it fails because the plan is so STUPID.

The ending I predicted. Snd I'm honestly that that afraid for a certain character? As she could never harm him because of readers love.

Honestly it was meh for me.

I really want to like it but after talking with book clubs my review has decreased. I can't just like a book because of Hawke, even though he is a massive factor to my love for theses books.


I hope book four is going to have more of a story structure this lacks one.

Fucking incredible.

This book took me on such an emotional rollercoaster I don't think I'll ever recover from.
It will forever be a book that I'll constantly be thinking about.

Not told in the typical way, with 1st 2nd and 3rd POV on the same page leaping back and forth so smoothly— this book won't be for everyone. It was dense. I found listening to the audio and reading at the same time helped.

One of those books that will stick with me. I'm baffled at the writing ability of Jimenez. Incredible. Amazing. Has to be one of my top favourites of this year.

I cried. I cringed. I laughed. It was everything I didn't expect and more.

Magic system is interesting.
Characters not so much

It felt like a book that had stretched the beginning of a novel for the whole book. I kept expecting more to happen.

I never say this but... if the author had slowed down the book, took time for Character growth then this would have been a better story for me. It's a plot heavy book with little character.

Ending didn't make up for the slog I forced myself to read
I should have DNFed.

This surprised me. I don't expect to like it as much especially the romance.
I would have enjoyed it more if it was darker (and it's pretty dark) but a fun good read. The ending was so fitting.

The premise of this books sounded so good. Victoria Aveyard sold this to me from her Instagram stories and highly inspired by LOTR? COUNT ME IN!

HOWEVER

It failed.

The characters were bland, too similar and boring.

Coraynne was a daughter of a pirate and yet she was boring, wanted adventure but also Is destined to save the world? But shes useless apart from being smart

Dom — useless elder (who is meant to be super impossible to kill) was a pointless POV and a worse fighter.

The assassin was better but a bad version of celena from Throne of Glass.

A squire who's POV was slightly better but also pointless. (Also he's in the prologue that is pointless to have as we get all information in the first chapter repeated basically)

Like what's with the multiple POV?! DO WE NEED THEM? NO

The only interesting character was the antagonist.

It's a quest fantasy. Fine. But the characters fell so flat. And the plot was too plain to stand for such a long book.

Oh and DID I MENTION theres a chosen one trope?

Yup. The bland and boring chosen one trope.

where are the morally gray characters that will save their world for their own gain and not because of decency?!


The plot was overlong for a book. It felt like backstory instead of a plot, as if the book should have started where it ended.

Overall predictable.

And the POV shifts within another characters POV was jarring

The world was large but it lacked foundation. I found some of it confusing.

I wished it's DNFed this.

It's a shame as I want to like Victoria Aveyard's writing but, while her ideas are solid her execution fails

5 stars for the ending that made me laugh and cry.

Where do I start?

Okay, don't go into this book expecting a lot. The plot is weak and it's pretty much all smut. I'm not exaggerating, it's all just them f*cking.

Nesta lost her characteristics from the beginning. She wasn't the badass character she was in the previous books and I understand she's going through trauma but it felt like she lost what her characters was.

The way she dealt with Nesta's trauma felt as if she pushed it to the side a bit. There was no real explanations and the one there was, was weak.

I liked the Cassian POV but by the characters arcs with all the characters felt flat. Where was Cassian's humour? And Nesta's snarkiness ? They were all like Elain, wooden dishcloths.

The ending was flat. The subplot with Feyre and Rhys took away from Nesta and Cassian and honestly, it wasn't needed. I could see right through it to what would happen at the end and I was correct.


There was a lack of emotional connection with all the characters. I went along for the ride without feeling a thing and I was left disappointed.

I did drift between shipping them and not shipping them but, because the ending fell flat I ended up hating them together. Partly because they lacked banter. Where was it? There was no enemies to lovers no banter and spark between them. The sex scenes were poorly written and I was waiting for it to be over. It felt forced. Not to mention they're romance arc was exactly like Feyre and Rhys! To me that came across as lazy writing. Everyone could guess what was going to happen.


There was one moment where she hinted at Az and Elain and I'm so PISSED because If that comes about I will hate it. Why do all the boys and sisters have to be together? Ugh!

This book is 400 pages too long. To get to the plot points where it starts to move from just sex all the time, takes about 2/3 of the book.

I will add if anyone is going for the audible the narrator didn't grasp Nesta's sharp snappy voice which is why I switched to the ebook.

I'm highly disappointed that a writer like SJM, problematic aside, wrote something so poor.

Wish I'd DNFed.

Flat characters and it failed on what it was trying to achieve. The author wanted me to care for the character tipp in particular but I felt nothing. There wasn't enough depth and care to the characters not enough deep moments between them for me to care.

And the stakes while they tried to be high were just meh. I knew everything was going to be fine.
Not to mention the characters were stupid AF. The twist I knew from the start.

And the romance came in too quickly.

Kiva as a character was bland. There was no depth no secretive characteristics about her. Everything is from her POV yet because the author withheld information it made the book weaker. There isn't a lot to Kiva characters. Not to mention that she's such a damsel in distress. Constantly believing in lies taking a trail that could kill her for someone we are led to believe is no one to her (which as a survivor that's said through the whole book, why would Kiva do this ?) then doing nothing in the trials but letting others save her. Pathetic. I'm over this type of character.

And a note on disability. I am in no way an expert but I find the author could have done more research. It felt cheep. As in what others perceive disabled people to be rather than what they really are. It was lazy and with more research and disabled readers it would have made the representation better.

The writing was so weak. I found myself skimming most of it and that's when o should have DNFed but as it was a gift I felt I had to read. Some of the dialogue was cheep the actions and decisions of the characters were just meh. I didn't get the stupidity of the reasons some characters made the choices they did. Not to mention the filler that was there for no reason. If the character had an ounce of a brain they would have seen the twist From the start


The middle of the book lagged. For a book about trials there was little to no tension. Someone always came to save the day instead of Kiva rescuing herself.

Overall this was a very weak novel that with a few more rounds of edits would have made it stronger.

I enjoyed the book. I thought the world was immersing, and well thought out.

However.

I did wish that the characters (especially Aren) were more thought out. A little more depth and wants from them would have made this book stand stronger.

The plot was engaging but at times it dragged. I wanted more character work between the two characters, And the ending felt too forced. More character work and the ending could have felt better.

The characters connection between the two love interest needed more work. The climax before the climax of the book was too easy, and I felt they didn't spend enough time
To actually know each other before the end.

I was in the verge of not continuing this series but the ending had me really interested and engaged to see where the story went so I bought it.

10/10 for making me cry

This book had everything I love in books. Deep characters who aren't simply black or white in their personalities. A connected story that had me guessing and then fearing the outcome. The cruelness of others.

I was frightened to continue reading as I suspected what the outcome was and told me tell you o was not okay. A bawling mess at work

The characterisation in this book is masterful.

I will be thinking about this book for years to come.

A perfect standalone.

DNFed midway through.


I messaged a friend and she told me the rest of the plot and let me just say, it was weird, doesn't make sense or add up.


What bugged me the most about this book is the lengthy descriptions lasting more than an paragraph to a whole page, about places and people we only see once. It wasn't engaging snd I zoned out for most of it, but towards the end I skipped.


Oh and the fantasy names! I really struggled with some of them, so my review is going to be the names I ended up giving them in my head.


Naus — AKA the Celena Sardothian of this book. She was bad ass, an immortal in a mortal body and downright rude. I liked her at first but other than trying to force the character to be the stereotypical badass female character “I'm not afraid of anything” there was nothing to her personality.

Aleco— the most wet wipe of a character there has been. No backbone (yet she can sneak into a club?) let's people push her around and ugh I hated her. She's 18 and still lets her mother ground her. Like wtf? She's 18!

Alrau... something. — as a quiet broody character he was fine. Could be better but fine.

Vehan — on the best one out of them all! Decisive, confident and determined to find who's behind the deaths. I just LOVE LOVE LOVE! But what really pissed me off that all the issues between Al and Vehan could have been resolved if I don't know they actually spoke to one another?

Nelson stole the show! Nelson and Appolo.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. It has to be my least favourite of Klunes books and I wouldn't recommend this if you're new to his works because without the trust I have in him as an writer I wouldn't have believed he cloud have closed this story off that was satisfying with a sucker punch to the heart.

Characters. Nelson is amazing and I liked the manager. But Wallace's arc from asshole to okay guy seemed a bit rushed. The book would have felt deeper if Hugo and Wallace or the whole gang worked out Wallace's issues with being as asshole to then form friendships and relationships.

Overall a good read. As always T J Klune makes me Cry.

this was such a fun read. like pirates of the Caribbean on the page. I devoured every second of this book.

the world was written so well and vivid, the characters driving the story forward and making me want for more.
the banter between a certain character and Amina I was dying for.

I can't wait to see where the story goes next.

I had so much fun reading this.

I am only slightly less confused than the first read.

I really need to read these books physically.

DNF at chapter seven


I love the world. The near futuristic elements is great. I love the non binary and trans rep in this as well, I wish more books would do this


But it's slow. Toooooo slow.


I'm bored. Waiting for the action to happen and when it does it goes right back to dragging. I've forced myself to get as far as I can in this and it's not working for me.

Caribbean Witches. Sound so cool

I've never wished I'd DNFed a book so bad.

This was a slog to get through. I struggled with the Prose, to understanding the characters and apart from the few times where Ira made herself a badass and snarky, both the Main Characters were the same, mediocre, the only one I almost liked was Ira, and then it was in small bursts

The conflict was predictable, sometimes forced. Jazmynne was boring, stupid. Ira slightly better with more of a drive. The side characters were Meh.
The hint of the love interest came about with a drastic change to one of the main characters and I hated it.

The choices that were made were foolish, at times forced for plot reasons. And the Plot... predictable, boring. If you like a long slow burn plot, with an average climax, then this book is for you. But it wasn't for me. This book isn't driven, not a lot happens, it doesn't have a lot of character and while the world was interesting, it failed to engage me.

What I do wish is that the worldbuilding has more of an explanation. I was confused for most of the time until I ignored the world entirely, by far this books strongest point.

0.5 stars.