Kenz
Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an ARC of The Outcast Mage.
I was so excited to read this book, it had all the makings for me to enjoy it. This is a debut high-fantasy novel from Annabel Campbell. As a debut, I am a bit more lenient on my ratings because the author is still working on their craft. I can honestly see Annabel Campbell becoming an amazing fantasy author. She has a great starting point but there are areas for improvement.
My biggest issue with this book was the pacing. It felt like nothing happened for half of the book. It was very slow to read and when I thought the pace was picking up it only slowed down more. As well as the world building being a lot all at once. There were times when you can see the author trying to weave in the world building into a scene naturally, but it did not read like it. There was many times where the world building was just dumped upon you.
I did really enjoy being thrown straight into an intense scene and figuring out what is happening in the world. My favorite parts of the story were the interlude portions. The mystery kept me reading long after I should have stopped. This is honestly a great debut that has the bones to become a great series. I am very happy to have read this and cannot wait to continue to see where the series progresses.
I strongly recommend checking this one out, but maybe keep your expectations on the lower side and know that it is a slower paced read.
Final rating: 3 stars ✨
DNF @ 42%
I can't do it anymore. I'm so done with this “tortured hero” excuse for the MMC to just be an absolute fucking douchebag.. I'm sorry but personally I think that no matter the context (playfully or seriously) calling the FMC a “needy bitch” is not okay and coming from the supposed love interest??? I tried to move on from that but I couldn't. He seemed to treat everyone else with a level of indifference but when it came to the FMC he was the biggest dick to her. Personally, I cannot find any redeeming qualities about him and for that reason I cannot get on board with the romance that will happen (eventually if I kept reading).
The FMC constantly played the “poor me”/ victim card whenever she put herself into bad situations! I understand she's in a foreign world and is trying to figure out what is happening but if she just fucking listened for one second she wouldn't end up in half the situations she did.
The world and lore building were shit. The writing was verbose in a bad way. I understand the author trying to set the scene and mood, but I don't need to know the ornate wood carvings in detail.. it felt over written for no reason. When DNFing I got 282/670 pages through, and it could've easily been condensed down to 150-200 pages.
Overall, I couldn't force myself to continue reading especially after reading some reviews. I have no interest in the characters and what is going to happen to them. I won't be forcing myself to read another 300 pages just to get to a supposed “epic” ending with a cliffhanger.
I cannot recommend this book, in my opinion, there are so many better fantasy romances out there.
Final rating: DNF ✨
My goodness was this so fun to read! My suggestion is to go into this blind. Don't read the synopsis, don't read reviews, just let the story take you on a journey. Finding out how events are to unfold throughout the story was just a joy to witness. Thank you so much to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the amazing opportunity to read an ARC of The Rose Bargain. I had an absolute blast with this read.
I'm not going to give a plot summary. Please go into this blindly! The vibes however I will give.. if you enjoyed the fae from The Cruel Prince series, the overall story that was Phantasma, and the time period of Bridgerton then this is the story for you. It's marketed at young adult and while I believe that to be hold true, the characters are all over 18 years. There is one sex scene in the book but it does not go into the detail nor is it long. Perfectly fit for an upper YA novel in my opinion.
While reading I was listening to an 1800's classical playlist and it was just so immersed into the story. I finished this in one day. It's a very quick read and one you won't be able to put down.
I do have some complaints about the book but they go into spoiler territory so I can't really talk about it.. I will say I wish we got a little more time with one of the characters so we could have a better understanding of them.
I highly suggest checking out this book. You will have a blast while you're in it!
Final rating: 4 stars ✨
This wasn't for me.
I did not like the way the FMC spoke. It made her come across as childish and, at times, juvenile. The nicknames the FMC gave everything was starting to get irritating. The MMC handle the situation like shit but I did like the way he apologized and groveled.
The cover of this book is what got me.. I hope the other books in the series are good.
Final rating: 2 stars ✨
I support women's rights...
Especially the right to kill predatory men! The Bane Witch was everything I didn't know I wanted. Piers Corbin is such a strong and resilient woman, who you can't help but root for.
The story opens up with her faking her own death to get away from her abusive husband. Along the way, she runs into more trouble than she could've ever expected. Throughout all the ups and downs she faced, she still remained strong and steady. Reading about a coven of witches who were created to kill vile men was the type of revenge I could never get enough of.
The Bane Witch is the epitome of satisfying female rage. You will be disgusted by the acts of the men in the book but satisfied with their endings. The bane witches are hero's we didn't know we needed.
I loved this book. I was rooting for Piers the whole time, while also on edge because of looming serial killer. I had gone through so many emotions while reading it. I'm still sad over some events that occurred but I understand the character growth that came out of it.
I strongly recommend reading this but please look into trigger warnings. Especially with the domestic abuse and rape that occurred/ is mentioned in the book.
Final rating: 4 stars ✨
Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for the opportunity to read an ARC of The Bane Witch.
Remember: a very little poison can do a world of good.
The size comparisons wasn't mentioned nearly as much as the first two but still mentioned more than necessary.
This was so unsatisfying. There was a plot line introduced and nothing more. Nothing was explored in this series, other than the men's aggression issues. I'm glad to be done.
Final rating: 1.5 stars ✨
Just incase we didn't get enough of the size comparisons in the first book, they continued into this one..
Personally not my favorite in the series, but it was still entertaining to read. I am typically a fan of shorter romances, so I was surprised when this kept me interested the whole time. It did have a lot of plot lines going on which held my attention and didn't make it feel as long as it was. I felt like the ending was a little too easy, but still satisfying.
I just feel indifferent about this one. I didn't hate reading it but it isn't a new favorite. I am excited for King of Gluttony, I just know that book is going to be good!
Final rating: 3.5 stars ✨
The only reason I got through this is because of how fast it read, other than that it was terrible. I despise the cheating trope with everything I have and I didn’t know that was the main trope in this book. I would’ve never read it if I knew.
I don’t think this couple will last long. Even though this was one had the best writing in the series, the plot was not good. It felt very generic and you could predict what was going to happen in every scene. Nothing was surprising or interesting. If it had been any slower paced I would’ve DNF’d.
Overall, this series is one of those where you pick the books that sound most intriguing and just read those. I’m sad that I really didn’t like any of these books 🙃
This was wild. Following an unreliable FMC that hallucinates made me so anxious. I liked Amethyst, she wasn't the strongest woman but she still stood up for herself.
I really keep wanting to complain and say this book was too long. However, the more I think about which parts to cut, I realized there aren't any. Every scene made the book come together so well. There were parts where my heart was racing, I was laughing out loud, and cringing from the graphic violence (they deserved it).
This was good. Very very dark nevertheless I enjoyed it. I would recommend this if you like super dark romances.
Final rating: 3 stars ✨
I liked this one slightly more than the first one. It's exactly like the first with a quick light romance. I think this is better fitting for the end of summer (August/September) than it is for the middle of autumn. This series is just so cozy and cute, can't wait for a Christmas read next!
This was hard to get into in the beginning and the ending felt really rushed but the in between was so cute.
Final rating: 2.5 stars ✨
Something was missing with this one...
The “twist”, if you could even call it that, was so obvious. I guessed it almost right away. So I wasn't even remotely shocked when it all went down. It all felt really easy and simple really, unlike the others.
I wish we got more of the letters between them. I really wanted to love their story. Especially after having adored Zahara in the previous book. But something just wasn't hitting in this one..
I am so excited to read Arturo and Tara's story, it's going to be so good
I was so frustrated with how much time they spent talking in circles. Up until the 70% mark every time Violet and Xaden saw each other they had to spend the time professing their undying love for each other. I got so annoyed like we get it you haven't seen each other in a while and you still love each other. Idk I slogged through the middle portion of this book.
Anyway, kind of expected it since it's the third book in a five book series. It's going to have that middle book syndrome..
Final rating: 3.5 stars ✨
DNF @25%
I cannot get over the insta lust from the FMC.. it took like 3 chapters for them to be kissing???
I also hate the name Jason soooooo...
4.5 stars ✨ I cannot wait for the next series set in this world! I love these characters so much
Wow! What an epic conclusion to an epic series. The Bloodsworn saga had quickly jumped to one of my favorite series of all time! I absolutely adore these books.. especially Orka. I've said it before but I am an Orka fangirl!! I put off reading this final book for a while because I just wasn't ready to let go of these characters and say goodbye to this world. But I was finally ready and boy did I go through it with this book.
Those final 100 pages put me through every emotion. I was cheering one second and crying the next. My god this was just so so so good! I cannot wait to have a reread of this series. I could go on and on about how much I love it but really you should just read it.
I recommend this series with my whole being! You are missing out if you haven't read it yet..
Final rating: 5 stars ✨
Side note: this is my first 5 star read of 2025 and I couldn't be happier about it!! Read this series!!!!!