Anita
A decent, fluffy, quick read about a human and dragon shifter. The writing did feel a little basic at times, lots of show instead of tell, but nonetheless it was simple to read.
While the relationship did move very quick, and the plot was rushed, it was nice to read about their relationship. Their sexual relationship was explored in a very open and healthy way, which was nice to see.
Arguably the best book in the series so far, though it might be because the story felt like a sidestory from the build up of the smooth-skinned men.
Our main characters are both known from the previous books, their attraction to each other another signature nod to Kingfisher's writing style, yet because of how short this book felt compared to the others, there was less yearning. While Galen did mess up, he eventually pulled his head out his backside and just communicated. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly their relationship developed as well, weirdly fitting for the two's personalities.
I enjoyed the exploration of the labyrinth beneath, an interesting bit of insight into the lore of Clocktaur War, as well as the twist at the end of the epilogue.
Looking forward to see if anything comes out from it in the next book.
I don't know whether to be mad or glad that this book is over, as I am heartbroken and yet in awe of the sheer emotions that Kingfisher has managed to put down on paper.
Firstly, I would agree with others that say you should read this directly after the first book, since this picks up exactly where the previous left off. The journey continues pretty well and there is a lot of setup for this high risk, high reward mission that they're on. There was a lot of set up, a few side quests to finish off based on our dear Slate's backstory, and then the ultimate finale (which honestly was sidelined by the more heart-wrenching plot twist).
Learned Edmund is probably the one that goes through the most character development. He is a very young and impressionable, and it is clear that he was indoctrinated with the beliefs of the Many-Armed God very early on. The best indication of this is when he invites Slate to join him after their journey, forgetting the animosity that his brethren have against women.
The ending was weirdly unsatisfactory. I know that in order to qualify for a romance, the characters have to have a HEA, but I feel like leaving it as it had been and having them finish open-ended would have served better, especially after the events that happened.
I still love it despite what transpired, I can admire an author that cackles knowing the reader will break over what they've written.
A well written, well paced historical c-novel revolving around a second chance life and fated partners.
Our MC is meticulous and cunning, thinking ahead of her time as a woman living in Ancient China. She knows the value of women in that time period and thinks selfishly for herself, having been neglected emotionally for many years. She hopes to marry rich and live comfortably, seeking the best match possible for herself with the men presented to her. Her way of thinking is rational and sensible to the point that it's almost machine like, for example, she doesn't consider concubines or other women her future husband may have as a problem, merely additional household items she will need to manage. She knows her place and doesn't hope to step out of it, especially seeing what happened in her previous life.
Our male LI is the hidden Crown Prince, having avoided death early in life, he has to pretend to be much lower than his intended level until he can reclaim his birthright. By a single chance meeting, he and our MCs lives entwine, producing a beautifully written love story.
While some things are set in stone and cannot be altered, the many what ifs and reflection to their past lives show that it only takes a single point in life that could ultimately change the future. If our MC and male LI hadn't interacted in the manner that they did, their lives would never have intersected, and they would never have met each other.
This story speaks a lot about fate, and how it is written in the stars, but there is only so much that it can do in order to guide us on that path.
An initially good first half, but alas there was a lot of musing in the latter half was didn't really feel necessary. I did end up skipping a lot of the paragraphs without actually feeling as though I missed out much on any of the information/plot.
Despite being a smutty book, there was a strong premise on heavier topics, such as fertility and relationship issues. Whilst it did add to the main character herself, it isn't something that's as light as the initial two books.
A whimsical read about dreams and those who sell them.
This book was crafted in a way I didn't expect from the blurb - we are introduced into a whole other world where we (humans) are customers only when we sleep. The little stories behind the dreams that we can envision, as well as the little meanings behind them paint a picture of why we have the dreams that we have.
A definite enjoyable cosy read, with some thought provoking snippets.
My favourite of the series so far - while I can kind of relate to Taylor with her perspective within the gaming industry and the difficulties, it was still a little bit odd to read. However, her personality and interest in gaming made the references feel good.
Krivoth being his grumpy self, develops from the end of the previous book - having been exploited and put down by his own father since childhood, he's developed an inferior complex and hopes that he can achieve acceptance from his father despite his denial. Being with Taylor makes him realise he doesn't need to prove anything and that everything he thinks will bring joy to his father is just an extension/projection.
I love the two of them very much and hope to see little bits of them in the other books.
An enjoyable read, but there were some things that I didn't enjoy, mostly the way our main character's feelings were expressed. While I understand that there were some influences from the first short story in this one, which led to Dravarr not announcing their marriage as soon as possible, the unnecessary third act breakup was an eye rolling read because all they had to do was talk.
I'm also not 100% sold on the sudden pregnancy at the end of the story, which suddenly resolved whether orcs and humans could have children.
I did enjoy the preview for the next book, though, only because I could see how Krivoth wants to prove that he's as worthy as though he looks up to.
A fun, quick read with ample world building and introduction into the world of the Moon Blade Clan.
While the plot wasn't anything particularly detailed, our FMC being transported into a world where a hunky Orc is waiting for her, it was short and sweet.
I loved Hurtle, the grumpy unicorn companion.
Looking forward to reading the other books, hopefully with a bit more plot.
There were certain vibes of the story that I enjoyed, with the subtle slip ups and odd behaviour of the characters, but I also felt that there was a discrepancy in pacing between the first and latter half of the book.
There was a lot of setup in the first half, with the film crew, and then the whole plot twist. It was slower than I would have preferred, but it was balanced in the information that was being fed to us. Then the latter half came and it was just a lot of plot twists and information in one big pile of spaghetti. There was so much going on, so much being unravelled, that it was almost too much.
The ending wrap-up was to be expected, similar vibes to As Good As Dead, which can put some people off I suppose. But overall, it was a good read - I found the chapter lengths and writing style easy to read in long periods without feeling like I was forcing myself.
A fun read, set before the events of the trilogy. While it was a bit of a frustrating ending, with Pip's theory making more sense than the actual answer for the Murder Mystery, it did start to introduce us into her personality and critical thinking, as well as the different personalities of her friends.
There was also subtle foreshadowing for different snippets of the following books too, which I found interesting.
An intriguing locked room murder mystery with multiple realities that just happen to line up perfectly for the end of the year, which brings the dark and mysterious out to play.
While it was a slow start, with Kembral constantly reminding us that she had just given birth and was on leave, and she now had a baby to think about so couldn't do half the things she did before getting pregnant, as well as the mass world building that was happening despite it mostly being kept towards a single party/house. However, after pushing through it, there was an urgency in the plot pacing due to the time constraints our main character had with resolving the issue at hand.
The plot had great potential, the idea of Echoes and the things within them being vividly described and fleshed out as we fell deeper into the depths with Kem and the party. While I preferred the focus on the game at hand, there were elements of romance mixed in with Rika, which I found well written.
The way things were wrapped up were nicely wrapped with a bow in some areas, yet I found it lacking in some others.
Overall, it was a good read and I may pick up the sequel in the future, being the world is interesting.
An enjoyable read, but not executed as well as it could have been. The pacing was off to a slow start, as the introduction into the world and Lia began.
The Ancient Greek inspiration was a nice background to develop off of with its rich mythological background, and this book built its world well off of it. Our main character is fierce and headstrong, her character developing while she was in the trial. I loved reading the character interactions, as well as getting to know these characters through Lia's view. Some bits could have been more informative, while some bits needed to cool down on the description since it just oversaturated into one area.
The ending was intense - there was foreshadowing sprinkled throughout, but it was still a bit tough to get through.
Overall, I think the book was a bit long for what it was, but it was still decent.
This was a relatively light-hearted story with fun characters that turned it into an enjoyable read.
Leovander is an insufferable rich-kid, with a tragic childhood incident that causes his once prodigal status to fall, leaving him with charms and cantrips. Grimm also has a tragic childhood incident, which doesn't hold him back academically but gives him the personality of a plank of wood. They can't stand the mere presence of each other, but are paired together by a teacher who I'm pretty sure secretly ships them.
The adventure in the latter half of the book was more interesting and to my taste than the initial half. It was paced in a way that allowed ample time for the scenes to take place without feeling rushed, as well as good character interactions. I loved Sybilla, and I hope to see more of her in the rest of the trilogy.
I also did expect more of a romance to bloom between Leo and Grimm, especially when they theorised two potential ways of removing the spell - felt like foreshadowing. Not only that, but I'm inclined to believe that it sneakily came into play during the events of the last scene, setting us up nicely for the sequel.
Looking forward to seeing more of Leo and Grimm (Beau too maybe?) soon!
A decent read, with great descriptions and story potential but a weak execution.
The world building in this book is immense, with vivid descriptions into not only the City of Riz, but into the ‘magic' system - carving into metal. Our protagonist is a teenager that shouldn't have the opportunities that she has, but through lots of luck and talent, Mesny offers her a chance at something more.
I loved the mentor/mentee interactions that the two had, it felt a lot more natural, with Mesny really showing that she cares about Kellan, compared to what I felt between Axel/Kellan. The romantic relationship that was slotted in the midst of the plot didn't feel necessary. Perhaps if we had more of a character development into Axel, then I would root for them more.
The weakest, by far, were the trials. Despite being such a big plot point of whether Kellan will/won't get the spot, they aren't the main focus at all. They felt rushed and sidelined by other action/plot lines to progress into the big build up that the author wanted, when I wanted more description, more stress, more information about them.
In the end, the ending didn't feel great either, finishing with a lot of unanswered questions. Perhaps there will be a sequel to unravel the remain mysteries, but ultimately this book didn't feel complete without them.
29/10/24 Wow, I need some time to process this.
31/10/24 There was a lot to take in from this final book in the series. A big warning that if you're expecting the light-heartedness from the first two books, you won't find it here. This makes you face some parts of reality that you don't particular want to, and it makes you second guessing a lot of things.
Our dear Pip is clearly broken. Things that she knew - belief in the justice system mainly - aren't what she thought. There's a serial rapist on the streets, a murderer who may not have done a bad thing on the loose, and Pip needs drugs to get even the tiniest bit of rest. And honestly, this is all just in the first half of the book.
After getting anonymous messages, and figuring out that this might not be as harmless as once thought, Pip ends up looking into a case that already has a killer behind bars. Except this guy in prison clearly isn't the right one. I thought we would be in for another ride, especially with poor Daniel da Silva being suspected once again (can this guy catch a break?) but oh no. I was so wrong.
The second half of the book takes such a drastic turn. A beaten Pip can't deal with the lack of justice after watching Max walk free, so one thing leads to another before slowly bits from all three books come together.
Andie Bell comes back into the equation again, knowing things that never made it public.
The break-in at Jason Bell's company all those years ago weren't as clear-cut as expected.
Charlie Green may not have been wrong at all.
Overall, this book was insane. It didn't take a direction that I thought it would at all, and the latter half reminded me of How To Get Away With Murder. It was still a great read, maybe even the big finale that was needed. As sorry as I am to see it all over, it kind of...felt right?
Another great read, a sequel on par with the first book. The format is still something that largely interests me, but it has moved onto a podcast one due to the release of her AGGGTM podcast.
Pip still has her can-do attitude, knowing what her previous endeavours into crime solving had led her, yet she can't say no when her friend's brother has gone missing. Her relationship with Ravi has taken fruit, and they're actively dating. As for her friends from the previous book...after the events from there, I'm not surprised that it's a little strained (Lauren/Ant I really don't like you two).
The mystery behind this one feels a little unrealistic at times compared to the previous. There's a lot that's thrown into this, from drug dealings to witness protection. And while the initial two-thirds of the book seemed quite light-hearted despite the missing person investigation, it takes a much darker approach than what some would expect towards the latter third.
Overall, I still enjoyed it, finding it easy to read and difficult to put down.