Kenz

I'm so grateful to NetGalley and Saga Press for the ARC of Vilest Things. I adore Chloe Gong's writing and how she is able to tell stories. Vilest Things was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and it did not disappoint.

The story jumps straight from where we left off in Immortal Longings. There was so much action and politicking, the scheming will keep you intrigued. The book does lull a bit about half way through but the pace picks up again for an amazing ending that sets up for a grand finale (to my knowledge this is only a trilogy). We've got more romance and betrayals that will keep you seated.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with Vilest Things and I cannot wait to read the next book. This is going to be such a great series and I'm interested on seeing how it'll end. I absolutely love the way Chloe Gong writes and tells stories, she has definitely become one of my favorite authors. I'm excited to she what she comes out with next and what kind of story she will tell beautifully.

One last remark for Vilest Things: I support women's rights, but more importantly I support women's wrongs.

Idk what happened with this one but it was a mess.. also why did I think this was the last book in the series?? Definitely ends with a cliffhanger again.

Final rating: 2.5 stars ✨

This might be my favorite in the series. I absolutely adore Gus and Teddy

Wow.

In my opinion, this is the true start of the series. Throne of Glass gets you hooked, but this book is when the pieces start falling. I LOVE this series so much!

Final rating: 5 stars ✨

Reread: 2025
First read: 2022

Illusion of stars is a fast-paced read that has an entertaining plot. Unfortunately, I don't think this was for me. I enjoyed the first hundred pages but after it felt way to obvious where the plot was going and the ending was predictable.

This was supposed to be an enemies to lovers plot but it wasn't in my opinion. The characters felt a bit insta lovey. The entire plot felt rushed and super quick for how much was going on.

Illusion of stars follows Isabel, a court physician apprentice, who is working to become the royal physician. She takes care of the queen and pretty much everyone else in the keep, except the king. It seems like everyday half the keep is out ill with something, girl cannot catch a break.. One day she finds her friend murdered and is roped into becoming a “spy” in order to help solve who did it. She is sent as a guide to help the son of the commander, Erik, to scout locations.

I did not like MMC at all. His initial behavior was not something I could get past, especially since their relationship seemed to happen really quickly. I don't think this was for me.. the buzz words got me interested but the execution didn't work, for me at least.

Thank you NetGalley and Shadow Forge Publishing for an ARC of Illusion of Stars ✨

Rating: 3 stars ✨

Tropes:
LGBTQ+
Grief/ loss
Magic
Traveling/ Camping

This had so much promise but fell short on just about everything. The characters were flat and boring. I did not care for any one of them, even when it was painfully obvious that the author wanted us to care. The plot was nonexistent until the last 5% of the book and even then it was rushed. The spicy scenes were so cringy and hard to read. At one point the FMC called her breasts “peaches” and that was just the start. The “twist” was not surprising and you can clearly see the author setting it up. I hated Fell and Stig. Both men are assholes and don't deserve redemption.. apparently as the reader we are just supposed to move past this and not be bothered about them. I HATE Tamsyn. She is so annoying with her inconsistent actions. If you read this just be aware that you won't be surprised she got treated like a door mat. But she tries to grow and change into a “strong” character, but again falls short and remains the door mat.

This is a warning for anyone who thought this involves dragons (the creature) and not dragon shifters.. this is a shifter book. Imagine how disappointing it is to find out that the dragons aren't actual dragons like the synopsis made it seem.. Honestly, this was so disappointing and not at all well written. I won't be continuing this series, as I have absolutely no interest in anything that will happen in the next one.

Final rating: 2 stars ✨

I wish we got more from all the characters. Everything felt very surface level. There were so many secrets kept that I just couldn't get into any of them. The relationship felt forced and a bit unnatural.. idk I'm hoping the next book will be better.

Crypt is my favorite though

Ghostly Gothic Vibes ✔️ October in New Orleans ✔️ Magical Trials ✔️ Handsome Devils ✔️

Be prepared when entering the deadly Phantasma manor, you never know which devil you'll make a deal with. Ophelia Grimm definitely wasn't prepared for the trials and tribulations of Phantasma. The night before entering Phantasma, Ophelia's mother passed away unexpectedly leaving everything to fall to her. Now the head Necromancer in New Orleans, Ophelia has to find her place between what her mother wanted for her and what she wants for herself. That is until Ophelia learns her sister entered Phantasma.. the game that offers the winner a granted wish from the Prince of the Devils. Once you enter Phantasma, the games begin.. but remember the cardinal rule: Never fall in love during Phantasma.

I enjoyed my time reading this so much that I never wanted it to end. The vibes were immaculate for the fall with the Ghost, Gothic manors, and eeriness of New Orleans. I really recommend reading this in October. Phantasma has everything you'd want for the perfect fall/spooky vibes.

There was OCD and Anxiety representation from our FMC. The portrayal was spot on, especially after reading the Authors Note at the end. As someone who has chronic anxiety and a mother with OCD, the representation made me feel seen and the FMC relatable. There were times it was hard reading her thoughts because they were so accurate.

The banter between Ophelia and our MMC had me giggling kicking my feet, it was so good!! The back and forth they constantly had made this read fly by so fast. The MMC gave Roman Kitt from Divine Rivals vibes but more devilish, the things that come out of this phantoms mouth!!

Go girl give us nothing!

If you want a sci-fi without science behind anything read this! If you want a romantic subplot without any romance read this!

This had the most interesting concept and idea but the execution was TERRIBLE. The characters were dull, the plot was boring, and the battles weren't good. I would recommend just skipping this read..

This was amazing

Dnf at 100 pages... mum always said “if you have nothing nice to say don't say anything” well mum sometimes nothing nice needs to be said.. this was shit. Gave nothing and lacked everything, definitely had potential at first but we got NOTHING. No world building, no character building, no backstory into anything. I was confused about everything, it seems to just be a set up into how fast can the main characters stop “disliking” each other (they didn't even have a reason to “dislike” each other) and fuck.. there are so many more well written romantasy's out there.. skip this one.

3.5 stars ✨

This was so messy. The story went completely off the rails about half way through. But it was compulsively readable, something that can be finished in one sitting.

I will be reading the next one because wtf was that ending? I don't accept it.

Edit: tried reading the second book and yikes

This reminds me of when I used to stay up till 3 am on Wattpad..

He gave John Wick vibes throughout the whole book. This man was absolutely OBSESSED with his woman

I don't know how to feel...

This book was amazing. I couldn't put it down, once I started I could think of nothing else but this book. The words that came out of Nico's mouth could only be those written by a woman! I was swooning and giggling every time he spoke to Camilla. I loved the characters so much and I hope we get another book with that ending set up

I liked part 1 more than part 2. Kai, Az, and Sergei are my favorites in the series

I'm upset that actually I paid for this... I won't be reading this series.

This had me in tears so many times

4.5 stars.... Release is too far away :/

I want to preface this by stating that I did not read the first book in this series, but I don't feel like I missed out on anything. The author did a wonderful job of world building which did not spoil the events of the first book. Honestly, if I didn't know this was the second book in a series I would've never guessed it wasn't a complete standalone.

Now, when I requested the ARC I was obsessed with the synopsis. I thought this was a book FOR ME. You know the one book that covers everything that you enjoy reading. Well.. sadly this just did not work for me as much as I wanted it to. The plot progression was painstakingly slow with multiple plot derails. The romance just did not work for me at all. I was about 50% the way through before realizing the MMC is one of those “misunderstood” types and I just don't care. I didn't care about the FMC in the end. She started off strong and was firm in her beliefs, but when it came to the MMC it seems like she just lost her senses.

I think my biggest problem about this book is the pacing. Everything happened so slowly (until the FMC suddenly flips and is in love with the MMC). The book is just simply too long, there are some scenes that could be cut and the book would be fine.

Overall, I cannot recommend The West Wind, there are much better fantasy romances out there.

Final rating: 2.5 stars ✨
Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for the ARC and the chance to honestly review

This started off really bad and didn't get any better.. there was no romance, they had no chemistry and for sure aren't going to last.

Final rating: 1.5 stars ✨

After reading Hello Stranger and not liking it, I was skeptical about going into another Katherine Center book. I'm so glad I decided to. This is the Katherine Center who wrote The Bodyguard! I adore this book so much. I was sat in the same spot stuck reading from cover to cover.

My enjoyment for Katherine Center has been renewed and I cannot wait to read more of her works. I definitely recommend reading this rom-com ☺️

Final rating: 4.5 stars ✨

Ew.