Katherine

This book has a lot of potential- there were a lot of plot points I was really hoping would be expanded on. It was a good read and I enjoyed it, but it felt like the book was double the length it actually was.

It seemed to drag on and was quite slow for the first half or so, but the last 20% was much better.

I liked Klara as a character, she was feisty and unhappy and willing to do something about it so she could be happy and enjoy life. She was tough, cared about her people, and wanted things to be better. She was relatable in her less than desirable relationship with her parents - tough love, not giving you the time of day, etc.

The romance in this was lacking but that was okay. I think it didn't need to be there, her character development was a good enough plot point for me. I could see what the author was trying to do with Frendell, but it just didn't do it for me.

I liked the angle of the 3 queens, that was really interesting.

The twist of Klara having white angel wings and ending up being part fae, part angel, part demon was really interesting! I am glad she was able to own it proudly in the end, and not have to hide it for fear of her father's disappointment.

I was disappointed that some of my favorite characters died for no reason, that was a bummer.

Overall, I thought it was a nice quick read, just that the author tried to shove too many things into the story all at once. There were several different angles she could have gone, all very interesting. Not to say it was bad because it wasn't! I liked it and once it finally picked up, it was interesting.

**This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review**

Narrow Mountain is a good easy read. It was enjoyable and quite short, but I think that lends itself well to the book.

For the most part I enjoyed Victoria/Emma as the MC, she was a bit weird at times but it added to her character. I think the characters and story could use a bit more refinery, some things seemed abrupt while others dragged on, and some character traits and actions seemed to contradict the characters themselves.

I really enjoyed the steampunk industrial world, and the FMC being an intelligent engineer. Very interesting! It had a few touches of romance and also fantasy to give it a magical edge which was enjoyable. Overall I think it was good, if not a bit choppy.

I do think this could benefit from another edit round, I saw a bunch of instances where it said ‘he or him’ instead of ‘she or her’ when talking about Victoria, as well as a few other grammar mistakes.

If there is going to be a second one, I would read it to see what happens next, however I assume the ending was the end. It was a bit abrupt too, I had 15 minutes left and felt like everything quickly wrapped up all at once - the drama of the ending could have stretched out in more detail a bit.

*This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review*

Defiance is not an option. It is simply something not taught within the walls of community 215, and punished severely when it happens. Rhea has only ever known this way of life. The council selects what your occupation is, who you wed, how many children you have, how much you need to eat, and where you live. There is no choice, only blind obedience. It’s better than living amongst the outcasts, those who live in the forest not in any community, operating as savages who hunt and kill and choose everything for themselves, and are a force to be feared.

But are they?

Rhea saves a boy when she is 10 from being outcast and is branded as disobedient via an iron brand on her neck. 8 years later she and the boy (Brooks) are ready to spend their week outside the walls to prove they can be useful contributing community residents. Things don’t go to plan; does Brooks really want to go back? Will Rhea get what she wants and become the next leader? Will Rhea open her eyes to the truth about her life and what she has been taught?

The premise of Community 215 is really interesting, a mix of dystopia, brainwashing and dictatorship used to keep the population under the thumb of the rich. I enjoyed the book but thought it was a little sparse in the text for me, there just wasn’t enough depth in the characters or the world building to leave a lasting impression.

Gael was a potential side story narrative, however he seemed to disappear about halfway through the book which was disappointing. Maybe he will come back around in the next book if this is a series - which I hope it is, because otherwise the ending was just cut off with no resolution.

This was an enjoyable read, and could be improved by more character depth, motive, and world building. Overall, I liked it and would read the second one if there was a sequel.

**This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review**

I have a lot of thoughts about this book – overall it was enjoyable and I liked it. Definitely more murder mystery vs sci-fi than I was expecting, but I still enjoyed it.

The good:

• I liked David Blunt, the sheriff and MC of the story. He was accurately depicted as how you would expect a man brought up in a small farm town in a red state. Moral compass, small town manners, stubborn, drinker, and hints of racism and misogyny without being outright horrible.
• Charlotte was an interesting twist/character, I won’t spoil anything but I really enjoyed the angle she played in the book.
• The murder mystery was enjoyable. I was captivated and intrigued, and I liked the angle of the murder being obsessed with the alien/giant.
• The dialogue between the characters was really great – each person had their own mannerisms and voice and I enjoyed that.

The meh:

• It was a little confusing reading about the town itself. Is it a big city/town now? is it still a small town with an adjoining big town? Is one side of the town dubbed ‘old town’ and secluded from the rest? I don’t know, it was very confusing.
• If it was a big town, I find it highly doubtful they would not have reorganized the structural elements of the town. 2 police is not enough, and a volunteer fire department? Even tiny towns have a fire chief.
• The twist/ who the killer was. I was a little disappointed by how this panned out. It was a good story but I felt like it was set up early on and instead of a shocking twist, it was actually who I thought it was early on. It ties in really well with everything, I just was hoping for more of a shock factor – I kinda knew who it was already.
• The lack of sci-fi elements. There was a giant dead alien and a top secret government base and we didn’t really focus on that? what? tell me more!!

Truly I did enjoy this read, it was good! I just felt like things either weren’t wrapped up (the dogs barking/dementia thing??) OR there is going to be a sequel. Personally I would definitely read a sequel if it dove deeper into the alien and the government facility and the things they are hiding there. That would be very interesting.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Godfall by Van Jensen was an intriguing look into a small town community whose world was impacted in more ways than one. I would recommend it to those who enjoy a murder mystery and who also like small town problems.

*This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review*

Wow. Well, if the first book started slow, this one started with G force speed. It picks up right where the first one left off, with rage and sorrow and grief leading the way.

I really liked how many different characters perspectives this book had - I think there were 5 or 6? Initially I was not sure how I would feel about it, but I ended up really liking it.

I really enjoyed reading through Dianna's pain and healing, and seeing everything Samkiel does to help. It was endearing (yes, even the killing certain betraying assholes is endearing to me and you can't change my mind).

It ends on the ultimate cliffhanger and I cannot wait until the third one comes out! If you like bad ass FMC, morally grey everyone, world building, gods, monsters, pain, despair, love, healing, stages of grief, this book is for you!

I will say this could be a difficult read for people who aren't seasoned readers. My reasoning for this is the different character perspectives, and also the timeline. Each chapter tells you where in time they are (2 weeks later, 1 day later, etc.) but it jumps around. So maybe it is 2 weeks later from Samkiels perspective, and then the next chapter is 6 months later from Dianna's perspective. I was able to stay on track but less seasoned readers could get confused.

Slow to start but once it gets going, whew! The banter in this book is great between the 2 main characters, and I loved the angle of them dealing with trauma and family sacrifices in different ways.

Diana is a hell of a relatable FMC for those who are older siblings and have had to make tough choices and decisions to keep their younger siblings safe and happy. Liam is relatable to anyone who suffers with PTSD, anxiety, depression, guilt, and a tendency to push others away when hurting.

I cannot deal with the ending oh my god I do not accept it and will be starting the second one as soon as I finish this review. I give it 4/5 stars only because I was about 25% of the way through the book before it really drew me in... it was too slow of a beginning burn for me. Once it picked up though, 5 stars!

“Across Both Sides of the Mirror" is a wonderful novel exploring the dichotomy of life experienced by all of us – the reality we live in and the potential life in the realm of our dreams through the use of the enchanted mirror Nova purchases at the beginning of the book. The author did a great job exploring self-improvement, self-realization, forgiveness, processing trauma, and the danger of giving up and using the pleasures of life (the mirror in this instance) as a means for avoidance and escape.

We follow Nova as she navigates life with her lackluster job, lonely home life, and hefty dose of unhappiness and lack of satisfaction with her current state. After purchasing a new mirror from the local thrift store, things get a little weird. The mirror is a portal to an alternate reality where you become the person you most desire to be.

“You must remember that life on that side of the mirror is not real. The mirror can be a useful tool to show you the way to become who you have wanted to be”

I really enjoyed the back and forth between reality and the magical realm of the mirror, it was interesting to read how each different world panned out in the same situations. I really identified with Nova’s internal struggles and lackluster feelings about her current state of life. Her introspection and character development by the end was great to follow throughout the novel, and I also really enjoyed the dialogue, both internal and external between the characters. There was a rawness and vulnerability to it that captured the conversations we have throughout everyday life when things aren’t always going as we want them to.

I couldn’t put this book down, and read it in 2 sittings! When I wasn’t reading, I was thinking about what what going to happen next, and felt extremely invested in the character development of Nova. It left me with a fresh look at my own life and gave me the opportunity to have an alternate perspective on how I navigate life. Overall, I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to other readers.

**This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review**

Unfortunately 'Potent' by Tyler Wittkofsky & Kelsey Anne Lovelady fell flat and was not for me.

There was a lack of world building and character development, I didn’t feel like they were their own unique characters, rather more forgettable than memorable. I was hopeful for the Oberon and Titania retelling, but it seemed like this was more of a ‘what happened next’ type of story rather than a retelling.

The dialogue was not my favorite, it seemed almost choppy/jumpy? Moods changed, people cursed out of nowhere, and there was not a good flow to the dialogue.

Several things I think really caused me to not enjoy the read:

• While I LOVE LGBTQ+ representation, and totally love using non-standard pronouns, I felt like it was moreso added in to be added in, instead of added in a way that felt purposeful and entwined with the character. Puck didn’t have any flavor if that makes sense? I feel like it would have been better if in general for all characters, there was more character development/description/getting to know the character.
• The way Orberon’s mental health issues were portrayed. I truly love books that portray mental health struggles and help expose society to these issues, but this one personally wasn’t for me. Maybe others aligned with this type of portrayal, but it missed the mark in my opinion.
• The modern world. This is a personal thing, but I personally did not like the makeup influencer daughter angle, the references to modern actors/actresses, etc. made it seem like name dropping almost?
• The final thing I will mention is the several negative references to body size. I love representation of all body types, and would love to see more characters with larger bodies but the several mentions of “they are skinny [curse word] and need to put you down because they are threatened” was extremely cringey. If we are going to write about different body types and their struggles, I think personally I receive that better when it isn’t focused on being mean and catty. Not my vibe at all.

Overall, I feel like it had potential, but either due to the length or the writing style, it fell flat with world building, investing the readers in the characters, and portraying the semi-political issues the author was trying to portray.

**this book was gifted in exchange for an honest review**

In the Roses of Pieria by Anna Burke was a delightful academically tilted double FF romance story. The plot twists and turns in such a brilliant way that kept me guessing all through the last page, where I remained shocked and intrigued by the end and wishing for the sequel immediately.

I immensely enjoyed the double FF romance, one across history; the other forming in the present as they translate this seemingly timeless undying love. I also loved that the FMC was in her 30's - it is nice to read about a character over the age of 25!

I loved this book! It had fantasy, romance, darkness, LGBTQIAP+ themes, academia, and history all wrapped up into a riveting story about an archivist who gains access to the private historic collection of her dreams.

The story follows Clara Eden, a 30 something archivist specializing in the history of the ancient city state of Nektropolis, who accepts a mysterious dream job to work on a gorgeous estate translating and digitizing Agatha Montague's private collection of historic documents and relics. A dream come true, Clara is immersed in pieces of history never before seen by her archivist counterparts while working alongside Fidah Halloran, Agatha’s assistant. Fidah and Clara’s budding romance forms as they work to translate what seems to be a collection of ancient love letters.The catch? She can't share a single word about it anywhere, ever.

Things are not quite as they seem, and life for Clara quickly takes several surprising turns, leading to a world she never thought existed.

I really enjoyed the uniqueness to how Anna created the workings of the fantasy world. A unique perspective on fae, it was unlike anything on fae I had read before. Fungal Fairies? Heck yes!

I'm so glad Anna included the translators notes at the end of the book, I enjoyed reading through those and referring back to the letters throughout the book to gain more understanding on what was going through Clara's head. It added another level of academia, and I truly appreciated it.

Overall, this was a 5/5 read for me. I would recommend In the Roses of Pieria to anyone who enjoys academic, romantic, and sometimes dark fantasy.

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review*

If you enjoy Greek mythology you will enjoy Circe!

Circe feels like an intricately written poem and character study, and it truly feels like you are reading from the perspective of a goddess versus a mortal. The way she thinks about things, how she feels and endures; it isn’t how a mortal would think and feel but rather those of being that’s more.

The writing was truly poetic and while some parts were a little slow for me, I appreciated them by the end. From a character-study perspective, the loneliness during her time alone on the island added immensely to how we as the reader see her character as a whole.

Loved the weaving together of many Greek stories and characters into one that is totally different while also keeping the integrity of each character alive.

This was a bit of a different read for me but was immensely enjoyable. Miller’s writing has that classic feel mixed with something new to intrigue the reader and keep us wondering how the story will pan out.

Giving the last book in this series a 3/5. Again, it was good but not great. There was a lot that happened at the end that I feel like was wrapped up very quickly. I didn't mind that Montana and Callie had to die because it was really impactful, but then Eric and Magnar died to find them in the afterlife, and THEN they all came back to life? It just wasn't my favorite. Either have a happy ending or have a bittersweet ending, you can't really do both.

Overall I enjoyed the series, but wish the writing was less choppy, and that there was more depth to the relationships. Going from hating each other to loving each other quickly, to feeling like you have to die because they don't exist was a little quick when you think about how it happened in a span of a couple months.

While the writing is still jarring/ choppy in places (especially the spicy scenes), the plot line was really interesting.

With the introduction of chakoa and the rising feelings between clarice and Julius, things are getting interesting.

The whole way the scenes with Valentina having magnar and Eric under her spell were so f’d up but written in a really interesting way! I was horrified but dying to know what happened next.

i cannot deal with the fact that miles and warren died 😭😭 I loved them so much

The idea of the story is good but it feels overall a bit choppy to me, and it has just increased as I progress through the series. People are growling and snarling out of nowhere in a normal conversation, sprinting right up to other characters and doing the most basic conversational things, the feelings people are developing throughout the series kinda happen all the sudden, I don’t know. I feel like we are missing out on some description text and some adjectives and inner monologue or something.

Don’t get me wrong, I like it and will be continuing to see what happens but can feel a bit jarring at times

While the first one was hard to get through, this one was much faster paced and kept me interested throughout. I enjoyed this book and am glad I stuck it out with the series. The 4 main characters are all interesting and I still cannot tell you how it’s going to end in the third one.

Montana Callie and their dad try to escape their realm, a place where humans are held like cattle for the vampires ruling the continent. They are caught, Montana being sent to the vampires and the clutches of the elite, dad sent to the blood bank, and only Callie remains free, although on the run.

The story is told from Montana and Callie's perspectives, one on the run with a mysterious man who calls himself a slayer, and one in a castle being forced to choose a vampire to be with.

I enjoyed this story and am going right to the next one! I like both perspectives and I am interested to see how it comes together in the rest of the series.

An action packed book in the series! Love, Betrayal, Death, Lust, and so much more. I really liked this book, it picked up so much more than the others and I’m excited to see what is next!

Captivating and interesting! I enjoyed this book and getting to know the main characters better.

Getting deeper into the courting process was interesting, although I wish there was more involved with that and Montana was able to spend more time with all of them. Would have added good tension and intrigue.

Not a bad ending, although I feel like it wrapped everything up rather quickly. I think if the first book moved a bit faster in the beginning, it could have left for more action in the third.

Overall I liked this book.

Not my favorite, not my least favorite.

Still not sure how this is going to pan out but this first book was really hard for me to get through. I was about 60% of the way through before I felt like it picked up enough to hold my attention.

I will probably read the next 2 in the series just to see what happens, because the last 20% of the book started to be more interesting. The inner monologue and introductions to all 4 main characters was not the most riveting content, but I am interested to see where this goes.

This was my favorite one of the series, I really enjoyed having all 4 horsemen interact!

Lazarus was a great rival for Death/Thanatos, and I really liked how he was portrayed. The banter between the 2 of them was great, and I loved each time Death experienced something new. Even though this series has a lot of death, it felt like experiencing life through all 4 horsemen and I loved that! Would definitely recommend.

Ana might be my favorite woman/adversary for the 4 horsemen. She is snarky and all about the sex jokes, and I am living for it!

I love the vulnerability around making love versus having sex in this book, and everything Famine had to go through was agonizing in a way that I could not put the book down.

The confidence War has that everything with Miriam (wife) will work out how he wants it sexy and I am here for it. I loved the way his expressions, feelings and experiences (especially the spicy scenes) were described, it really plops you right into the story.

While the spicy scenes aren't as descriptive as some other series, I gotta say i was more turned on throughout this book (and series as a whole) than I usually am LOL. I think the life experiences and newness/raw feelings are what did it - if you like that sort of thing, this is a good one for you!

Great start to the series, I really enjoyed it! underneath it all, Pestilence is more human from the get go than he thinks. Sara just brings the rest of it out of him.

I liked the world scenario in this book, it is a really good apocalypse version. The real/raw human scenes between Sara and Pestilence were my favorite parts of the book - watching his humanity come to light and his love for Sara bloom.

Gild is book 1 in the Plated Prisoner Series by Raven Kennedy. It is wonderful and horrifying all at the same time. Wonderful because the world building and character development was great. Horrifying because Auren literally lives in a cage. The more I read, the more horrified I became for Auren, and I think that is part of what makes this a great book.

I really felt the despair and hopelessness coming off Auren in waves throughout her time in the cage. It was such a good depiction of emotional abuse and an extremely controlling relationship. I mean, the book starts off with Auren being made to watch Midas have an orgy with his royal saddles (another term for harem)!! What a fucked up guy he is, and I love it so much.

Midas was written so well, another golden man who appears wonderful but is actually horrible inside. Hidden behind his golden persona lies an absolutely wretched man, thriving off manipulating and controlling a woman for his gain and her capture (aka protection in the book).

I mean her nickname is his favored, his precious. He has people travel from far and wide to look at her and he parades her in front of them like a prized trophy.. like holy shit I am offended for her. Poor Auren doesn’t even know how bad this is, she has been manipulated so much.

My favorite characters in Gild are Digby and Sail, hands down. I love them so much! I really loved the interactions between Auren and each of them as the book went on, it was so sweet.

Gild has a lot of misogynistic, horrible, disgusting men, and while it was awful to read about what they said and did, I think it added another layer to the book that made it better. The differences between the awful men and the good men were starkly obvious. While I wish no person ever had to endure SA of any kind, I think Auren’s fear of it upped the tension in the book and made me more invested. I did not want that to happen to her or any of the characters, and when they were in danger of it I could not put the book down.

Finally, towards the end we meet the Fourth Kingdom’s army, along with Rip – the commander. Can’t wait to read more of him….

Overall, Gild by Raven Kennedy was a great start to the Plated Prisoner series, and I am diving straight into the next one. I would recommend this book for sure!

I really loved this book. I’m a sucker for FMC having to pull herself out of rock bottom and emerge as a strong badass, and that is exactly what she has done. I am a sucker for the love interest and the friends being there to support her along the way, and that is exactly what happened.

This book hit me deep in my emotions, and I truly loved it. Their time in Deadwell was so powerful, my heart was aching the entire time I read it. Poor Auren has had to go through so much pain, suffering, and abuse, and I wish she did not have to deal with the loss of her ribbons and the trauma she faces knowing Midas did it to her to try and force her back under his thumb.

Some people may not like the slower pace of this book in the series, but I LOVED it. the character development of Slade, the healing of Auren, the side plot with Queen Malina?? And then the Rissa in the 4th army sub plot? Loved those little cheeky chapters. I really enjoy books that showcase trauma, mental health issues, and healing/growth. This book was mostly that, and for that I love it. It gives me a sense of comradery with the characters who deal with their struggles, and I can so relate to that feeling. I also can relate to a tall dark and handsome inserting themselves into my life and being the push of growth and healing I need, so that was really special to me to see.

Slade pushing Auren to talk about her trauma was SO moving. I also really enjoyed the background we got on Slade. Even though it is book 4 and we are just now learning his past, I still think it is relevant and will become relevant in book 5 & 6? It HAS to be, I just have a feeling.

Once we left Deadwell and went to Brackhill (the castle), it was wonderful in a whole other way. Auren basking in the sunshine? Enjoying life during the day? Friendships? It was wholesome and touching, and I loved it. I personally think this break from the tense trauma plot was great and we still got plenty of that by the end!

The ending…. I have no words and have no idea what to write here. I am appalled, horrified, happy, sad, shocked, distraught, heartbroken, excited, and more. Book 5 I need you now!!

Glow by Raven Kennedy was a perfect book 4 in the Plated Prisoner series, and I cannot wait to read book 5. I have a feeling big things are happening soon!!