Andie
This world is complex, magical, stunning and captivating. I was not expecting a fae world as complex as this one. There are a lot of characters, 12 tribes divided into 4 groups that use magic differently: one group that uses magic for might: warriors; another group that uses magic for good: healers; a group that uses magic for efficiency, basically for everyday tasks and another group that doesn't use magic at all. I think the first three groups are pretty much self-explanatory but the fourth group is definitely unique. In a world full of magic there's a group (3 tribes) that choose to not use magic. It's quite bizarre and intriguing. Then there's also the Society that rules over everyone, half-fae, humans, dragons, a dragon tournament and a uprising. A uprising was brewing in this world filled with racism, poverty and discrimination.
Kerrigan, the main character, half-fae/half-human, was abandoned by her father when she was a child. She had been living and training in the House of Dragons, in the mountain, for years. Now that she was seventeen, she could finally find her place in the society. But she needed to convince a tribe to choose her. Being half-fae just meant she never truly felt like she belonged. Her heart wanted to belong to a tribe, however she was also questioning if she belonged downward with the humans. Maybe even fighting for the criminal that saved her life once before.
The beginning of the tournament really kicks this story into a fast pace. There was a lot happening! So, we have a fierce half-fae girl fighting for a place in the society, a mysterious dark fae prince, ruthless competitors, five dragons up for grabs, an assassin on the loose, an uprising lead by a mysterious red masked group, a slow burn romance and so much action!
I do think that there were too many things happening at the same time and it felt too much at times. I wanted a bit more insight on some of the tribes too, but I think we'll get there in the next books. There's some things about this society that did remind me a lot of The Hunger Games. I also didn't know this series is connected to the Ascension series, which I didn't read and there are spoilers for the events of that series. In my opinion, you don't need to read the Ascension series before House of Dragons, but just keep in mind that if you want to read the Ascension series it is best to read it before you start the Royal Houses series.
House of Dragons is a very entertaining, fast paced story with a complex magical world building. I can't wait to read the next one because I bet there's going to be a lot more of a certain banned tribe.
Thank you to Wildfire Marketing for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I enjoyed it but I wasn't very surprised by the ending. The build up to figuring out who was the murderer felt a little flat and when it ended I just didn't care much because I already predicted it. All the hype made me expect a lot more from this story.
The characters were likable and I was definitely rooting for all 4.
Overall, enjoyable and entertaining. I just think I wanted a shocking twist. A bang. And it didn't happen at least for me.
Books, Coffee & Passion
I'm utterly, completely, totally in love with Hollis. She was a fantastic character, a tiger, a warrior! She was brave, snarky, funny, strong, sweet and flawed. Absolutely amazing. Definitely my favorite heroine in this series!
Now that I've gushed about Hollis, there was Cannon too. Honestly, at first it took me a minute to warm up to him. Even though I understood some of his behavior at the beginning of the book, I was siding with Hollis in all of it. Anyway, Cannon was torned between family loyalty, his feelings for Hollis and a few preconceived notions regarding women in sports. Fortunately, his character growth was done beautifully and the boy started to pitch like a dream in more ways than one. The way he stood at Hollis' corner was so sweet and swoon worthy!
Furthermore, I loved Cannon's dad, I really loved the Cannon's bromance with Tory, who is still my absolute favorite hero in this series, and I enjoyed the moments with Lucas, June and Lola too. As a sports fan, I also adored the fact that the story had a lot of baseball in it: the training, the workouts, the game moments, the bonding moments between Hollis and Cannon as teammates. It made the atmosphere perfect.
Varsity Rulebreaker was a beautifully written fantastic YA mature sports romance with captivating strong characters, steamy scenes, teen angst, all the feels and so much girl power. A perfect home run! I loved every second of it and I'm sad to say goodbye to these characters. I would definitely keep reading more and more in Ginger Scott's Varsity world. I highly recommend this series, definitely one of my top favorite series of 2020.
Books, Coffee & Passion
I'm obsessed with podcasts so I knew I needed to read I Hope You're Listening as soon as I read its synopsis. Additionally, I couldn't resist the fact that it's a mystery thriller which made it perfect to read in October. I'm so glad I read it!
I read 50% in one sitting and I only stopped because I needed to work and while I was at work, I kept thinking about this story. As soon as I got home, I finished it because I literally couldn't wait. I guess you can tell I was really hooked! I totally was. From page one, this book kept me on my toes. Guessing, guessing, guessing. There's something about Tom Ryan's writing that captivated me completely and I just couldn't stop reading. I NEEDED to know what, who and why, especially regarding the main mystery. Yes, there's more than one mystery!
Dee is an amazing character, she kept so much to herself, she carried so much on her shoulders and even when she was being self-absorbed, like any teenager especially a teen that went through what she did when she was a child, I absolutely loved her. Burke, her childhood friend, was also a great character, their friendship was solid even with its ups and downs and I loved their moments together. I wish we could've seen more of Burke as the story developed. I also loved Dee's Dad, he was so funny and sweet. I really enjoyed the fact he was a stay-at-home Dad. Sarah, who moves into the house across the street, was a great addition to the story. She played a major role in Dee's character development and I really liked how their relationship grew. She was exactly what Dee needed.
There were a few things that I felt weren't explained well or at all. Sarah figures something out and I didn't get how she grasped it. It bothered me that Dee didn't even ask Sarah how she figured it out which made me feel like there was a piece of the puzzle missing. Also, one of the mysteries, the one wrapped up at the very end of the book, is solved but I couldn't figure out how too. I don't think we got the details of how the person who solved it got to the bottom of it or maybe I missed something? Anyway, I really loved how the main mystery is wrapped up, though, as well as the mystery that Dee, as The Seeker, was helping to solve on her podcast. This was the first book written by Tom Ryan I've read and it definitely won't be the last.
Overall, I Hope You're Listening is a gripping, emotional, fast paced, entertaining, solid YA mystery thriller. I recommend it to readers who enjoy this genre or that are looking for an enjoyable mystery October read.
Rep: LGBTQIAP+
TW: Drug use; Child Abduction/Kidnapping.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
2.5 stars
I read The Midnight Swimming Club to fulfill a prompt in Becca's Bookopoly Readathon: Highest Rated. At the time, it was the highest rated book on my TBR Goodreads shelf.
The synopsis was very promising and I was excited to read it. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that this book is only 139 pages long. The heavy topics in this story were just too many for its page length. And it showed.
On the other hand, I still empathized with Patricia and all the things she was going through. It's an entertaining story. There were a few absurd, yet hilarious, scenes and a few heavy moments. I kept wishing during the entire story that Patricia would talk to her dad and/or her mom but this is a common issue in a YA contemporary book in my opinion. The fact that everything was happening too fast, meant that a lot of the heavy topics were not expanded enough. Overall, I liked the story but I wish it was fully developed.
TW: bullying, body shaming, peer pressure, divorce, suicide.
3.5 stars
Hush Note is a three book rock star romance series written by three authors: Sarina Bowen, Devney Perry and Rebecca Yarros. Lies & Lullabies is the first book in the series, a sweet emotional second chance romance.
I'm not a fan of the surprise pregnancy trope but I couldn't resist reading Lies & Lullabies. A second chance rock star romance written by Sarina Bowen? Hell yeah!
I loved the setting, the writing and the characters in this story. Jonas had his reasons to skip crucial details like his real name and the fact that he was a rockstar, when he was spending a summer away from all the madness. He definitely wasn't expecting to meet Kira. Kira was going through a rough time when she met Jonas, their friendship came easy until their first and last perfect night together. 5 years later, Jonas decides to go back to Maine and seeing Kira is an unexpected surprise.
Kira and Jonas reconnected fast. It didn't seem too fast because their bond and their chemistry were pretty amazing. The intensity of their feelings made sense and felt real. I absolutely loved the side characters: Vivi was the sweetest little girl; Adam, Kira's brother, was definitely my favorite side character; I loved Ethan and Nixon was definitely a very intriguing character (so excited about reading his story...!). I wish Adam would get his own book! That would be awesome but unfortunately it doesn't seem likely.
There were a few things that frustrated me in the story. I didn't get Kira's reasons to keep Vivi a secret. She could have tried to reach him and tell him, it bothered me that she didn't even try. Kira's ex has a small role that didn't made much sense, that story-line wasn't wrapped up at all. Also, we get a bit of Adam's fling with Ethan and it was left unresolved too, I wanted so much more of both of them!
Overall, Lies & Lullabies was a solid sweet entertaining second chance romance. I'm really excited about the next book, the tension and the chemistry between Graham and Quinn just in a few paragraphs: OFF THE CHARTS!
This sequel is amazing, this world is fantastic and I'm officially obsessed with this series.
After The Raven and The Dove's ending, I was so anxious to start The Hunter and The Mage. I was happy that it started up right where the first book ended. It was a roller-coaster and I read it in a day. Couldn't stop!
The multiple POVs kept me enraptured by the story, the details about the magic system, the world above and the world below painted a perfect picture of Lyanna's world and Malek's world. The world building is so impressive, there's so many distinctive details between the worlds and the dynamics are so different and vivid. Both worlds are stunning with amazing characters, a rich detailed magic system and an ancient mysterious prophecy about a queen and a king that can save both worlds.
This story is breathtaking and captivating, with flawed, wonderful and, at times, infuriating characters. Rafe and Xander are definitely my favorites and I devoured their POVs. Lyanna was a little off balance at the beginning of the story, which was understandable, fortunately she really shined through the story and grew into an amazing, strong heroine. I really loathe Malek, can't stand the way he controlled everyone and how he justified his actions for the sake of the greater good. Cassi... Well, Cassi was the most infuriating character ever! Especially because I don't want to care for her but then she did a few noble actions here and there and I ended up caring again, you know?
I loved The Hunter and The Mage, I think it's a beautifully written tale of magic, love, friendship, survival and unexpected twists. I'm in love with this compelling series and I'm really looking forward to the next book. Highly recommended, a top favorite of 2020.
Queen Move is unique and powerful and left me speechless. Almost nothing in it went the way I expected, it was frustrating at times but it was still amazing. In the end, Kimba and Ezra's journey made a lot of sense. Love is messy. But I still wish Kimba didn't have to go through so much... She's a fantastic character and I loved her! WHAT A QUEEN! What a journey.
Speechless.
Books, Coffee & Passion
I wanted to read at least 2 nonfiction books in 2020 and I decided to pick Scrappy Little Nobody because I thought it would be fun. This book is hilarious, sassy, crazy and enjoyable. It felt honest and real, almost like reading a letter from a friend that was telling me about their life.
Pitch Perfect is only mentioned briefly unfortunately, but there are stories about Camp, Twilight, Into The Woods, Up in the Air that I really loved to read. I think my favorite part is when Anna talks about her performance at the Oscars with Neil Patrick Harris and Jack Black.
There was a chapter or two that in my opinion didn't add much, like the fake parties chapter, but overall it was super funny and charming. Anna Kendrick is insecure, awkward, stubborn, hilarious, sarcastic and surprisingly relatable. I was surprised by how much she shared about her insecurities and her romantic life, it was very refreshing.
Scrappy Little Nobody is a funny, charming, witty, entertaining book.
That endiiiiiiiiing! I need to know what's going to happen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ok, I just had a mini breakdown because that ending gave me chills. I'm loving this series! These characters are so amazing! I love Tessa, Will, Jem, Charlotte and Sophie! I can't believe I waited this long to start this series. Now, all I want to do is binge read EVERY BOOK in the Shadowhunter's world. I'm really curious about The Dark Artifices series. And now... CLOCKWORK PRINCESS!
Books, Coffee & Passion
Rules for Dating your Ex is the ninth book in The Baileys, I've only read one previous book in this series and I really need to go back and read the other books because The Baileys are the funniest family EVER! Piper Rayne's cast of characters is fantastic in this series, the banter between siblings, friends and significant others is amazing and I couldn't get enough of it!
I don't want to spoil the story, so all I can say is that I really enjoyed this second chance romance. I was worried that I wouldn't care much about Jamieson but I loved him! His sexy accent, his relationship with his daughter, how he owned his mistakes and the way he was so, so, so sweet with Sedona won me over. I loved Sedona too, she was an amazing mom and truly an amazing sister with a heart of gold. Their daughter was the sweetest little girl and I pretty much loved every moment between her and Jamieson. The other Baileys as secondary characters provided many hilarious moments, especially their grandmother, and I was so entertained by their antics. I think the story evolved a little too fast at a certain point in the book, which made me wish we had a little more time with Sedona, Jamieson and their daughter as a family. I'm hoping we'll be seeing more of the Baileys in another new series that was hinted in the end of this book. Overall, a very entertaining, sweet second chance romance.
I don't know what is wrong with me and hyped books but we're not getting along. AT ALL.
I was bored for about 50% of this book. Then, the story started to get interesting, things were happening, I was a little scared and then it ended. Literally the story ended when it got scarier.
We spend so much time learning the history of Hill House and we don't get enough time IN Hill House. Like I said before, in another disappointed review I've written today, I was more scared when I picked this up to read than I was when I finished this. I think this speaks for itself. Unfortunately, if this book had 100 pages more or so, I think this could've easily made me afraid to sleep after reading it. Just disappointed.
This book didn't work for me. It started strong and very promising but then the story started to lose my interest. Maybe if the book was shorter, I would have been more invested in the story. I think there were too many perspectives and way too many details. It might've worked better for me, if some things were just edited out because the narrative got a little repetitive. There were a few creepy moments, unfortunately it didn't scare me or made me lose sleep and that's saying a lot because I'm a chicken!
I had high expectations about this book, but I was more scared before reading it than I was while reading it. I'm bummed.
Whoa, what a ride! I really enjoyed this story.
I don't read a lot of mysteries/thrillers but I think the author did an amazing job with this one. She definitely kept me guessing who was the killer, at one point I was sure it was one character and then two pages later I was sure it was another. It came to a point that anyone could have been the killer.
I have to say that I did guess who was the victim before the end, but I wasn't completely sure until the very end.
I enjoyed the slow burn story telling, loved the haunted/remote Irish island atmosphere and the multiple POVs, in my opinion, really helped to build up the tension. There was so much history between the characters and there a lot of clues along the way. I couldn't stop reading!
Overall, a very entertaining book, with twists and turns, twisted characters and a strong Clue game vibe.
This book... I didn't have much expectations when I started this and maybe that's why I'm rating it just as ok.
Honestly, I saw vampires plus academy and jumped on board, even though after seeing the cover I was definitely worried about the similarities with Twilight and that's the reason why my expectations where low. It is similar to Twilight in a lot of aspects: Grace moving to a different town; Jaxon worried about being a monster; their first encounter; the first time Grace's in danger; 2 love interests from different factions/groups. But I think Crave was actually a weird mix of various best selling YA books or vampire TV shows: Twilight was all over the story; the academy description gave me vibes of Hogwarts/Vampire Academy; the way the “factions” or groups behaved gave me a very tiny vibe of Divergent (but it might just be me seeing stuff after 592 paaaaages!); also The Vampire Diaries (Jaxon and his brother's story just felt a spin of Damon and Stefan's relationship) and Legacies was very entwined here too.
It just felt like the author took something from several of these books/shows/movies, changed it in some way and put it in the story. I get that books and TV shows/movies can and will influence an author but there were too many elements entangled here in my opinion.
It bothered me that the academy aspect of the story wasn't fleshed out at ALL. So much potential thrown away and the book has 592 pages... I mean... there was definitely opportunity to flesh it out!
Oh, and The Order (Jaxon's faction or group or whatever) had so much potential too but none of them are developed... Annoying.
The insta-love/obsession came out of nowhere and they were obsessed with each other in two days... So, yeah, exasperating is an understatement.
There was diversity in the characters but most of these characters were underdeveloped. Also, the ones who were a little more developed were villains or were siding with the villain side. This rubbed me the wrong way. Some of these characters might have a bigger role in the next book, but that possibility doesn't make this less shady.
What I liked:
- Other supernatural creatures, besides vampires, in the academy (very, very interesting and again so much potential);
- Grace's character at least until she started obsessing about Jaxon because then she just went downhill (so this didn't last long);
- Some characters like Grace's uncle, Flint, Macy, Jaxon;
- The gothic castle setting;
- Hilarious scene with a book, I think you can guess which one;
- The ending was very interesting.
I don't know if I'll read the next book. It might depend on my mood and I might check the reviews to see if it got better and if the diverse characters are finally developed and play a role in the story. Or I'll just forget about it entirely. It can go either way.
I really enjoyed this one!
I wouldn't say it's exactly an enemies to lovers romance because they never actually hated each other. The family feud was very real though, Sophia's father and Wes' father really did hate each other and Sophia disliked Wes. Wes, on the other hand, didn't hate Sophia and didn't dislike her AT ALL. However, it was a very interesting dynamic.
There were aspects of this book that I really, really loved. Wes was letting himself be defined by his past and his alcoholism and I loved how Sophia shared with him how she saw him and how he was so much more than that. (meaning: how he was so much more than a savior baby and an alcoholic ) Those dialogues and the moments they opened up to each other about their pasts and their problematic families were freaking AMAZING! I also loved their insane chemistry and their fights, it was amusing and Wes antics were so funny. In addition, Mr. Thorne was definitely my favorite secondary character, his conversations with Wes were HILARIOUS!
There were a few aspects that I disliked: some random thoughts Sophia had; Wes' obsession with her neck was just too much and irked me a little; some parts felt rushed; Sophia's behavior regarding a situation, that lead to the final conflict at the 84% mark, was very problematic in my opinion.
Still, I loved the ending and I think the epilogue was absolutely amazing.
Overall, a very enjoyable book with lots of angry sex and great banter, highly entertaining.
Warning: There's a lot of sex in this book, most of Wes and Sophia's fights ended up in bed so if you don't like the sound of this, I don't recommend you read it.
I've read The Dark Tide a few months ago but I struggled so much to rate and review it that I decided to reread it again after a while. Finally, I've reread it and I'm still struggling to organize my thoughts about it.
I was really liking the story during the first half of the book but then I felt disconnected. I can't pinpoint the exact moment that my interest in the story started to fade but I'll try to sum up what I liked and disliked.
What I liked:
• Rep (POC; LGBT);
• Captivating premise;
• The dark setting of the palace and the island;
• Witches;
• Lina and Finley's relationship was great, really loved their banter;
• The pet sea serpent was amazing;
• Eva was the most complex character in my opinion and I really liked her POV;
What I didn't like:
• The magic system was underdeveloped;
• The pacing felt off;
• There was no build up in the romance (Lina's transition from being so in love with Thomas to having feelings for Eva came out of nowhere);
• Other than Eva and Lina, the other characters felt flat.
Overall, I liked it but I feel like the story didn't quite fulfill its potential and couldn't keep me invested until the very end. I'm still curious about the next book though.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
