Lili V
Do you know how hard it is to find legit reverse harems that don't make you cringe or want to pull your hair out for whatever reason? And this was so DAMN GOOD! It had some awesome characters: a great female friendship, a colorful (literally could not keep the colors straight-hair, eyes, personality) group of guys, and a pretty awesome female lead. This book was pretty hilarious with Willa's antics and dialogue. The world-building was enticing and was easy to picture because the writing was enthralling and nicely descriptive. I wasn't sure at first what type (if any) reverse harem this was going to be, but the authors did a great job splitting Willa's screen time with each guy. I would classify this as a YA RH because there weren't any sexy times (though lots of nude moments by the female lead which I loved because her personality is funny, fatalistic and just all around awesome.) I usually like to go for more smexy reads when it comes to RHs but I really enjoyed this one. It reminded me how “innocent” reads really build up the tension between the characters a bit better. It also made me remember how I felt when I was reading C.L. Stone's Academy books, which are honestly tough to match.
I'm so happy this book ended the way it did, but I guess I should say relieved. I was expecting the dreaded cliffhanger while I was reading the book since the title is referencing one of the guys and this is just book one but I should have given it more credit. It ended very well and I can't wait to read the next in the series.
This is definitely one of the better daddy play books that I've read. It hit just about every aspect about this kink that I like. The writing was great and had a nice pace, but of course it was the sexual tension and the smut that really makes this book standout. I liked the characters and I didn't think I would like the age difference but it really suited them as a couple because it complemented their relationship; it didn't drag it down.
The brilliance of the writing and plot execution was amazing in this installment of the Lady Sherlock series. Honestly, I don't know how the author was going to continue with the Sherlockian mysteries but she outdid any expectations I undoubtedly built up after the first book.
The author entangles more of Charlotte's personal life with the case that encompasses the main plot of the book but in such a flawless fashion that I didn't anticipate all the entanglements that would soon unfold. This is my favorite type of book with my favorite type of character. An unpredictable book with a Sherlock archetype. I look forward to reading more in the series, as I was terribly sad when this ended.
I think I enjoyed the relationship that Callie and Des had when she was younger than after he came back. I wish there had been more of a bang when they finally–FINALLY–got together since it was so inevitable. I didn't really care about the mystery, and once the two got together, I lost interest and skimmed the last 10% of the book.
I gave this book a fair shot (stopped at 127) and up until I decided to stop, I thought the narrative was decent and the character portrayals if not ground-breaking interesting enough to make me want to keep reading. If this book was just about the characters, I would have continued without a doubt. What finally made me decide on not continuing was the sci-fi aspect. It wasn't supremely technical, I could follow along well enough though the physics flew over my head. The approach was just so dry that the book really dragged whenever a scientific explanation was called upon to get a better grasp on how this space voyage was going to happen. I can surmise that more of that type of writing gets more prevalent as the impending voyage looms closer so I finally had to put the book down because it was just so boring. While I did enjoy reading about the characters (as characters are usually the primary draw for me), I didn't care about them enough to suffer through more “science” when it's more the writing's fault than the actual science itself.
Really liked this one. I empathized with a lot of Eliza's struggles, anxieties and depression. This book came at a perfect time for me. I've been stressed about work and have really no solid reason to be stressed by it because it is going well. Mental health is really something you have to work at, like physical and emotional health, they're all tied together.
I loved the incorporation of letters in this book because they served as a way for characters to reveal themselves, expose themselves in a way that's rare and difficult to do in person. It was a common theme throughout the whole book, expressing yourself in a medium that's deliberate and thoughtful.
Overall a great read and would highly recommend to those familiar with fandom but also to those in need of a little validation that being stressed, keeping others at bay, and being quiet can be a part of who you are. Even if you're doing well and your life is stable, that doesn't necessarily mean that you are or have to be. The biggest thing I learned from this book is that you have to be willing to open yourself to others when you feel like you're the only person in the world that's feeling what you're feeling. It will always be that others have felt the same, or can at least understand and possibly even shed light on what you're going through.
Disclaimer: I did not read Especially Heinous in its entirety and do not include it as a part of my review as I don't think it fits in this collection.
I enjoyed the writing immensely and the dark magical realism twist in all the stories. I will definitely be checking out more of Machado's work.
The Resident was my favorite story because the atmosphere was so crystal clear and ominous but the themes wrenching and true.
I do have to give kudos to the first story for really pulling me in, as I think the rest of the stories were curated perfectly and set in the best reading order.
Another pretty damn amazing read by Mariana Zapata. I really liked this book, a lot more than expected because I wasn't sure I'd want to read Diana's story but how could I have any doubts? Winnipeg is still my favorite but this is definitely my second.
I loved reading about how Diana took care of her nephews in light of the tragedy in her family. She's such a genuinely caring person that it was beautiful to read about how she loved her sons. Dallas was a really cool guy but I wish there had been more to his background in the story. There were some loose ends that I wish we had gotten the answers to but overall he was noble man.
Very good reverse harem. Reminded me a lot of C.L. Stone's Academy series but it's supernatural twist and relatively platonic–for now–friendships between Lexie and her boys was refreshingly different.
willnevergiveuponRH
This was surprisingly better than I thought. Except the relationship between main female and her harem went from zero to hundred in a second. Didn't mind it too much since I like when the author isn't afraid to introduce sex in a book but it surprised me how quickly it sprung up. Like Day 1 : Move in. Day 2: Go grocery shopping with one of your new roommates. Day 2: Get attacked by an overprotective mom. Still Day 2: Comfort sesh with the roommate and start making out in the car.
Where do I even begin? I know I won't be able to do this book justice with just one read-through. There's so much to unpack, so much that I related to, so much that just made me feel. I'll try to illustrate some of those feelings here, though it surely won't be in any way articulate.
How often do you read a book that comes at just the right time? That can take you out of your head, but simultaneously feel like it's a mirror of your life, or more specifically, how you currently feel in your instance of life? In order for you to fully understand how deeply I connected with Scarlet, I need to give you a little background of my life. My mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she found out she was pregnant with me. She was given the choice of having me, or taking the fetus out and saving herself. Miracle child does not even begin to describe the blessings I've had in my life, and the sacrifices my mother has made in order for me to have them. Something that will probably shock some is that I completely agree with Scarlet's stance on modern medicine and her approach to healing herself. Even though modern medicine saved my mother's life, there's instances where I know that what it cost her was a lot more than she was ever willing to give. I'm not trying to spoil anything in the book, just stating my truth. I've been vegetarian for a while now, trying to be vegan. (Have convinced my mom to mostly follow in my footsteps.) I've been making this transition because of the things I've learned doing my own personal research. We have one life, I'm not going to let any entity dictate what I put into my body but me.
I digress. Scarlet's life before her journey for self-discovery is a lot like how mine is currently planned out. Obviously not the more fantastical bits of being a third-generation thief, but having a relatively laid-out life. But something I pride myself on that I don't ever mention is that I try to go into those planned out aspects of my life with eyes wide open. Yes, there will come a day when I might just say f it and follow whatever passion I have, but growing up the way I did, paycheck to paycheck, I want to know what financial stability is like first. Money may not buy happiness, but it sure as hell helps you find it.
I'm all over the place with this “review”, but really I feel like this book has transcended itself in my mind and let loose this fountain of feelings that I've been holding in during this transition period that I'm currently in. In about a month, I begin another new chapter of my life, and I have no idea how it's going to go. But, like Scarlet, I'm going in with eyes wide-open, taking nothing for granted, listening when someone talks to me, make actual connections no matter how intangible a goal it may seem. It's hard not to get lost in other peoples' lives and just live our own. It's hard to navigate our own emotions and thoughts when they're so entangled with the actions of others, but I'm going to continue to be aware of my existence so I don't get lost and lose myself in the chaos.
One of the many incredible accomplishments of this book is that it managed to show so many different faces of the main characters. How is it that the author can portray the human condition in such raw moments? I know I need to reread this book because there are so many quotes and eccentricities that make it unique but ultimately relatable and I don't want to forget any of them.
Great start to a series, really loved how confident and independent Arianna was, she acts like a leader to her people and I enjoyed reading about her. The writing was fast-paced and highly entertaining. A lot of the world-building and political climate was being established in this book as well as new threats were being uncovered. There's political intrigue which is something I love to read about in my fantasy books, and can't wait to read more about it in the next book.
Solid 3.5 star read.
The romance moved kind of fast and was excused because of the were-culture but I really appreciated the open communication between the main couple. The world was well thought-out and I liked the characters. Overall a fast-paced read that reminded me of all the paranormal romance books I've read. Enjoyable but not memorable.
The sex scenes were full of consent and communication and they were great. :)
I took my sweet time with this book, spanning a couple months because I honestly didn't want to overlook the writing, the characters, the themes, the side tangents...I loved it all. The characters felt like real people - flaws and all - and I couldn't get enough because while I felt I could understand them as a whole, they're actions were still unpredictable and fascinating to me. I feel like the whole book is a character-study, of the author and the four “main” characters that he spends the most time fleshing out. I absolutely loved how well the "couples" complemented each other in all their psychological idiosyncrasies (Mr. Mellors, Connie, Sir Clifford, and Mrs. Bolton).
Highlighted and annotated the bejeezus out of my copy and would 100% re-read.
How refreshing. Somehow I managed not to skim more than three pages on this one. I think because, it was to interesting to accidently skip a detail of importance. As I told Alea from Pop Culture Junkie on a Twitter message, “it reminds me somewhat of The Host.” Which seems, frankly, I was wrong about. Admittedly, the alternations in reality taken in stride are very comparable; but that has more to do with the concept of the book, not the background details, or the characters for that matter.
What's refreshing is that this specificpassage has somewhat of less,well–censor warning!–bullshit than most novels. I'm not saying this one's any better than the rest, in fact, it lacks a bit emotionally; but it does not “kid-around”, “beat around the bush”, whatever you want to call it. There are different species–such as vampires, shapeshifters, and “Triste” witches–in this fantasy novel, but the author gives it plain out, albeit a bit subtly, what their abilities are.
Artistically, this novel is pure poetry, I would say; despite the preference of Edgar Allan Poe's “A Dream Within A Dream”–which is one of my favorites, btw, andmakes perfect sense to this particular context–right before the Prologue. Her specific subtle details make you image every blade of grass to the shade of a character's hair color.
I gives this masterpiece a: B+, partly because I was lost at times but found my way back to the plot at hand in the end. Time to hunt. Time to run.
Holy CHIT! This was definitely the darkest ddlg that I've ever read. I skimmed over the torture scene (which did not involve the main female character) because hello, I'm only here for the sexy times. Suffice to say that this is definitely not like anything I've read before in the all-encompassing romance genre. I'd equate this book's darkness to the level of twisted-ness (not the same thing) in the The Original Sinners series by Tiffany Reisz.
I was a bit unsatisfied with the ending, especially since the writing in the first 2/3rds was amazing and vivid. I could picture it all but while the lead up was good, since the story's timeline already told you the ending, it didn't have as much of an emotional impact. I looked at a few other reviews and the 3 stars tend to say the same thing as well. It's interesting that the author chose to write in Michael's narrative for so long (almost too long) only to drag out the story unnecessarily.
Finally!! We get the sweetness!
Obviously, there's still a darkness that tinges even this book–because how could the series continue to be badass if there wasn't? However, we finally get some sweetness when it comes to the development of the bonds between the five of the main characters, thank Jesus!
Once again, I really enjoyed the writing, the author does a great job in drawing you in and making you read until the very end. Like Seph, I'm slowly falling more and more in love with the boys and with the series as a whole. After the first book I didn't think I'd come back to the series, and admittedly, it took me a while to revisit it. But I couldn't stay away forever because even the first book had that captivating writing style.
This book specifically captured my heart because Seph finally realizes that she needs to give support and strength in order to get support and strength in return. Overall she was able to reconcile that the bond between the boys and herself came from a dark place but it didn't have to stay there.
The relationship is toxic but addictive to read. I don't think Emilia should have stayed with Vicious but damn is there relationship hot!
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the audio of this book. It brought the characters to life because the writing read more like a script than it did a work of prose. I know if I had picked the physical book to read then I would not have read it all the way through because during the first half, I would not have enjoyed the frequent staccato, juvenile sentences as Frances thought to herself. She is, however, my favorite character of this book because she went through the best self-discovery transformation.
The biggest reason I gave this book only 3.5 stars is because of the characters. I didn't enjoy reading about the Last twins themselves but I did understand why other characters would be obsessed with them. Aled was my least favorite character because at no point did he ever think about helping himself and the result of his selfish (and mostly insecure) actions led to unnecessary pain (in himself and the people who cared about him). I could see, however, myself in him in a lot of ways; and I did agree with his idea that Frances and him were two sides of the same coin. I could see myself in both of them and that's what really kept me reading (as well as the great story-telling). The podcast is a character unto itself and melds with the story quite flawlessly. It served as the foundation for a beautiful friendship between Frances and Aled.
I believe a lot of people (teenagers and young adults especially) can see themselves reflected in one or more of the characters in this book because they each confront the transition of adolescence to adulthood; and all the preconceived notions that come with it.
This book had great diversity in the cast of characters and spoke about other sexualities besides the hetero we see all the time. I appreciated that it wasn't a focal point in the book but a prominent side conversation about self-awareness and introduction.
