JD

10 stars! This is the best urban fantasy series I've read. I love that Annette doesn't over extend any series as well. She has amazing interwoven plot lines amongst the series in the same world.
And I can't wait for what I hope to be an upcoming series following Darius and his very interesting life!

Witty masterpiece of a series!

I love these books very much. I'm doing a full reread now in the order they take place to get caught up. I love the world she has built with characters you can't help but to adore immensely!

A lot of this is repeat info. She quotes other people constantly. And this is for non fiction authors to use their books to sell courses. Which she does constantly throughout the book. There's some good info but most of it feels regurgitated info. And honestly it feels a bit scammy.

For one the author hasn't hit this mark its just her goal. She's only making 2k a month as of the writing of this book. And she's definitely paying out a lot for each launch between edits, covers, paid promotions, and ads.

She has a sound theory and if your an entrepreneur that wants to sell other courses quickly with basically 100 page ads every month than this is for you.

But for career writers or fiction writers in general there's little to know info here.

If you are a writer I think you should read Becca's books. There's a reason she comes so highly recommended. The validation alone is worth every penny.
She has actionable steps you can take regardless of the type of writer you are and the type of blocks you have!
And I highly recommend her Patreon for even more specific guidance and coaching. She is an amazing coach and has already changed so much of how I approach my writing for the better.

I mean vampire, a murder plot against a narcissistic ex, and a Sapphic crush? Best of all worlds! It's amazing fun and a good cautionary tale of making life decisions at too young an age!

I loved every moment of it!

Overall rating: 5/5Writing:4/5 (it's YA for sure but was well done!)Plot: 5/5, the pacing was really well done. You could tell it was well planned and that you had clues that were available but not glaring.Characters: 5/5, each character felt real, and each character had a distinct voice and motivationThemes: 5/5, found family on point!

Characters: Super Queer! trans, ace, aromantic, demi, pan/bi, and lesbian main characters. And a variety of races, home countries, and skin tones!
Narrators: Multi, Each chapter goes back and forth between the main 4 girls. Rory, Yuki, Ella, and Nani
POV: Multi 3rd person
Genre: YA Paranormal Mystery, with light Romance side plot. YA LGBTQ
Type: Series, Book 1 of ? from Grimrose Girls, no date for sequel yet
Content Warnings: death (on and off-page not too graphic), betrayal, child abuse (light and off-page), talk of suicide, chronic illness

So this is more of what I wanted from Malice but didn't really get. It is a unique retelling in every way, it plays into the tropes I love without being predictable fully. You see the parallels but nothing is completely as it seems.

As far as rep, can you get better than this? I don't know if there are straight characters lol! We have trans, ace, demi, pan/bi, and lesbian characters all of whom are very flushed out and none play into harmful stereotypes. You also have a character with chronic illness in this which I found so amazing. Rory has fibromyalgia that she battles with but doesn't allow to control her life.
I felt like the little side romances felt genuine especially for teens, the first flutters, and how everything is life and death at that age. None of them felt forced and you saw the attraction.

This is one of those books (novellas) that I honestly can't remember if I had read before and it's just been too long to remember or if this was my first time reading. The story itself has been the subject of interpretation in many movies and tv shows, which makes remembering the original story rather difficult.

Either way, I came back around to this classic. I will warn those that are not used to classic literature prose of the time may struggle a bit depending on the edition you get. And the style of writing that was popular lends to plenty of superfluous descriptions. But if you get by that, the story itself is an interesting one.

It is told through a series of letters and narration from multiple people. A classic tale of good and evil that is fun to debate on the deeper metaphors and meanings the author may have had in mind. And being a short work is one I think most should read. Especially if you are a fan of horror as these classics lend way to the works we love today!

4.5

Honestly, I loved the first book so much I immediately grabbed this one... And wtf happened.

My best guess is that this was done via ghostwriter, or she changed editors. It read as bad fanfic of the original story. That or she simply had too short of turnaround and rushed the editing process. But imo it didn't read like the first at all. Character growth was nill and consistency lacked in many places as well.

I felt like the main character devolved if anything and became more airheaded and straight up stupid instead of learning from her mistakes.

And the sexy time was so cringey and off putting I skipped ahead! And I'm a sexy time fan but it was so weirdly written.

Also, there were certain phrases repeated multiple times exactly. It was a poor sequel to an amazing first book.

Sadly, I won't be continuing the series if this is any example of the quality moving forward.

5

3.75 it's weird, messed up and oddly a bit funny. Pretty damn dark as well.

Let's just start with the fact that I think this book should be read by every teen. Whether they are LGBTQ+ or not. The representation and the themes of acceptance and more importantly self-acceptance are perfection.

For adults, I still believe this is a perfect spooky time read. Yes, it has all the angst and heightened emotions of puberty and teenage years which is kind of a fun trip down memory lane. And the way Aiden handles the dialogue and thoughts of the young characters feels incredibly genuine to the time. He nails the tone and thought process of being 16.

This will be a book I will read again. And as a Queer gal with a couple of Trans relatives this book makes my gay little heart sing! I can't wait to see more genuine representation like this, and bravo to Aiden Thomas for this LGBTQ+ spooky masterpiece!

I can't wait to see more from this Author and hope that he may even tiptoe into Adult fiction as well. I would love to see more about the Adult Brujx lives!!

I want more! I want this to be a long series! I'll write a full review later

This is a tough one. It has a pretty good premise, a solid concept, BUT the execution was just not there. I know other reviewers have said the same. And listen, in Mysteries if the ending isn't solid it's a crap mystery IMO.

I was going along in the first 50% pretty happily. There were some issues that could have been better, but overall I was digging it. Until about the 79% mark where I just knew I was going to truly hate the ending. And I did. It was too neat and clean, and also weird and unsatisfying. It felt phoned in.

My big issue throughout is he's saying he's an unreliable narrator (which is a pet peeve I'd rather be shown that he is unreliable than be told) but really he's just sporadically lying. Which yes, is unreliable but it's also just kind of pointless. We're shown that he isn't telling us the truth too early, so by the end, we're just not surprised by anything. Then you have some character backstories that were too convenient and unlikely. Without giving anything away, I just felt like nothing was tied up in a shocking or satisfying manner.

I can live with an ending I didn't see coming or even an unlikely/unlikeable one, but not one that seems too easy. And by the time I got to the end, I just didn't care enough. I had to push through the last 20% because I had come that far and felt I should finish.

So, I can't in good faith recommend this book to Mystery or Thriller fans. And given many reviews saying that his books are hit or miss, I probably won't give this author another try anytime soon.

This book was not for me. Yet another book that focuses on productivity but keeps the aim to those in 9-5 jobs. If you are an entrepreneur or freelancer this book doesn't help you out nearly as much.

I took the free assessment and basically it told me things that my horoscope has told me for years and far less than my Human Design coaches. FAR LESS.

I think that this book could be good for someone that hasn't done hardly any self-development or for managers trying to produce better results from their team. And for those that are not open to broader areas like Astrology, Numerology, Enneagram, and Human Design for charts.

If you do already have any of those charts, especially if you have your Enneagram or Human Design, don't buy the book. It will not tell you anything new.

I do wonder if this gives enough actionable steps for everyday folks to follow-through on. Because as someone that only got Key Contributor traits on the assessment it felt very light on advice on how to use that information. Especially if you are not in a job that matches your motivations!

4.5! The best high brow low brow humor you can find!

Overall rating: 4/5Writing: 5/5, Her writing is relatable and fun.Plot: 5/5, I love that we get to spend time with them as a couple as well as follow them through their issues!Characters: 5/5, All the characters felt very real and fleshed out!
Would I reread?: Yup, definitely

Narrators: Dual Narrators
POV: 3rd person, dual
Genre: Lesbian Romance, WLW Romantic Comedy, Romantic Comedy
Pace: Med. we have certain things move pretty quickly but the characters are what carry the bulk of the middle as it slows down a good bit.Tone: Emotional, funny, lightheartedStoryline: Character-driven, Side plots felt well developed though.Themes: Found Family, online friends/dating, books about books, family dramaWriting style: Contemporary and light, succinct, well plottedBook Appeal: For anyone that is a fan of You've Got Mail & rom coms in general. This will not disappoint and there are plenty of queer characters. I also love this because I'm an author and I love characters that are too.Type: 1st in Series Ms. Right, the second book is about Lia, Rosie's best friend, and I can't wait. I also love that that book is perfectly set up subtly in this book. Content Warnings: NoneWas the Blurb/Genre Accurate: YesAdditional Comments:You've Got Mail but longer with wlw, who has been reading my diary? This book was perfect and a great read for the last day of 2021. I cannot wait for the second book in the series in April!

If you've never read anything on enhanced learning and you haven't watched Jim Kwiks videos on YouTube this book is amazing!

If you have done either of both though this is mostly repetitive. I was hoping he'd go beyond his free speed reading masterclass exercises in the book and was hoping for new ideas on note taking as an adult. I got neither.

But overall it's a good book and has a lot of value if you're just starting out researching this field.

There are a lot of stories but he has actionable steps in each chapter as well.

Was the Blurb/Genre Accurate: Yes, veryOverall rating: 5/5Writing: 5/5, the language and descriptions from the start have an omnious tone!Plot: 5/5, you could tell this was carefully and artfully crafted. The ending was well foreshadowed without giving it away. It's amazing to start guessing the who and why with all the clues provided.Characters: 5/5, most of them are very unlikeable. BUT they are believable. I have known many men and women that are exactly this crappy in the same ways. Every person is well crafted and feels real and fleshed out.
Narrators: multiple narrators, you get perspectives from the bride, the planner, the sister, the groom, the best man
POV:Multiple POV in 1st person
Genre: Mystery Thriller, Locked Door Mystery
Type: Standalone
Content Warnings: death (on and off-page fairly graphic), betrayal, child abuse, suicidal thoughts and a suicide, depression, anxiety, abortion

I loved this book so much. I'm usually not a fan of books with super unlikeable characters but this is an exception. And there are two redeeming people that you care and root for. The plot is carefully weaved throughout as you get little teasers of the death to come and why it comes. I had a blast buddy reading this with my mom so we could discuss the clues and theories we had as the book went on. I could tell that this was well planned and she selected information to share as it went. There were no info dumps here, in fact, you often find yourself wishing someone would go on about their story.

Another huge accolade to Lucy Foley for crafting believable characters of both sexes. The men in the book are genuine men. Not good men, not men you'd want to be buds with, but believable men all the same. Not a touch of romanticized shaping here. All characters have obvious motivations and lives beyond the book. It's a masterclass in characters imo.

I'm very excited to read more from this author!

3

2.5*
I'm sad. This was a highly anticipated read for me. My biggest issue is that the main character is NOT an evil sorceress, not really. She is basically just forced to produce curses, but she doesn't want to. So already I was bummed that she wasn't strong internally. I was hoping for some real girl power villainess vibes and those were missing.

But I kept going because the writing style is solid. I enjoyed the way things were developing. I overlooked some typical tropes of misunderstandings and “smart” characters acting stupid. BTW the majority of this reads very much like a Cinderella retelling not sleeping beauty. I had hope that maybe our gal would develop her claws as we continued. But she didn't not really, not her own.

I felt the ending was a cheap exit. I would have given it 3stars to 3.5stars if not for the ending. I felt like all the backstory of Alice was wasted by the turns at the end. The inevitable betrayals that were coming could have packed more punch. (view spoiler)

And there was a trope that I really hate in these books. (view spoiler)

I'm not going to read the next one. I don't even feel like the Sapphic romance in this really held weight. They spend some time together but it just seems really shallow. And we really don't get to know the princess or most of the characters that well so more than a few of them seemed a bit flat. Like all their actions were predictable and weren't nuanced.

I did like the magic system and the fae lore, I wish we had seen more of it. A lot was more told to us in one way or another. Which sometimes is needed with this kind of fantasy because you need history to be present. I would be interested if the author told the story of the first Warrior Queen and the Fae War. Because that chick seemed to be the only one with a personality and some balls to get things done!

5

This is a great horrific alternative history that does seem eerily relevant this year. And in all I say read it! It was not a fast read for me however, I blame my Yankee upbringing lol.

So heads up that some of the eye dialects are hard to figure out. I would love a non-dialect version of some of the sentences in fact. But I understand and respect the reasoning behind them being there. And culturally I fully agree with their use, but I still did struggle as a result. Most of these lines are at least somewhat explained via context clues. And I do wonder if the audiobook might be easier for someone that isn't familiar with deep south and ethnic black accents.

The premise and the delivery were unique and creative. I really do enjoy this book! And I think it toes the line of horror and emotional connection. You do very quickly connect with these people and feel for them! Well done!

Be prepared for all the roller-coasters! This is arranged and weaved for maximum confusion, distress, and paranoia. I'm sure this will become an instant classic of twisted Gothic tales.

Now that there will be times where you'll doubt the ending, think it will be unsatisfactory or easy, but thankfully the author did not take the easy way out.

The audiobook narrator was excellent as well and you feel for the main character as she goes through a maddening twist of events.
The most enjoyable anxiety I've had, lol. And I highly recommend this to fans of crimson peak and Rebecca! You will not be disappointed!

Also, any neurodivergent readers should identify with Jane greatly. I know I did!

I grew up loving and reading both Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Oscar Wilde. Sherlock Holmes and Dorian Gray will always be the top of my literary list of first loves. And being familiar with Sir Doyle's fascination with the paranormal these books were of immediate interest!

I think anyone that enjoys the Original Sherlock Holmes books will enjoy this work as well. The pacing, the character development, the clue dropping is all very nostalgic. It does have a slower middle portion but that is to be expected with this style of a Mystery. And overall the entire thing had me hooked.

I think he did a great job of capturing Oscar Wilde's wit and style. I could clearly see him in my mind's eye. And overall he kept many things somewhat historical. There is something refreshing and cozy about reading your favorite authors born anew as characters.

Overall, my first impressions of the book, the description, and the execution were all in alignment. I got what I wanted out of this book which was a Holme-esque mystery with two of my favorite authors playing sleuths. I will definitely read the following book and more from the author!
POV: Is 3rd Person for those that are interested.