Grace

Loved this book!!! I relate so much with Kat, how she doesn't fit in the High society and actually wants to do good with her privileged position.

I must say it does feel like a fae version of Cinderella, since it has some iconic details like:

• Her stepmother own Kat's possessions after her father's passing and mistreating her
• Kat having glass slippers (inherited from her mom) and then one casually left behind during a raid
• Her glamours during the same raid of the lost slipper washing off at midnight
• And I believe in the japanese legend similar to Cinderella it is stated that her prince kicks her stepmother and stepsisters out of Cinderella's properties and then brings her in her own home as a surprise wedding present.

Still I feel that is a subplot of the book and those details are subtly complementing the story rather than developing around them, which is nice.

I liked how the story develops, and you keep wondering about what truly happened in Kat's past that inspired her to become the Ivy Mask, since she keeps changing the truth but doesn't reveal it even in her thoughts, keeping the reader engaged and wanting to find out alongside Rahk.

I would have liked a more intense character development for Kat, I know breaking down your own walls and accepting to be loved is not easy, but throughout the book she keeps essentially the same: untrusting, fearful of what Rahk might do to her if he found out the truth (her being a woman, then her being Lady Vandermore, and then her being the Ivy Mask... for all three feels like the same story repeating itself) and seems like she doesn't learn anything from it other than the fact that she loves Rahk and doesn't bear to hurt him with each truth. Once she has no secrets left suddenly all of that personality fades and seems like a confident, strong, worthy woman... maybe I missed that process in the reading?

All in all, it is something I WISH it had, but not something that faults the book because it works beautifully and I enjoyed it so much! It's got heist, mystery, deception, love, romance (yeah girls, we all melt with that scene in which Rahks slowly kisses Kat, and drive crazy with the carriage scene), self-doubt, and how even the fearless warrior has his own weaknesses. It is a new favorite of mine and would definitely re read as a cozy fantasy.

I am, unfortunately, the Hero of Ages.

My, oh my, this book is definitely THE end of all trilogies. It made justice to the story, in both writing and plot. The character development is amazing, and I am pleasantly surprised with how some of the themes were handled, such as depression, self-doubt, coming of age (and the mourning of who one once was), questioning your faith/religions in general (especially after a loss), sacrifice, love... it holds complex aspects of life in such a relatable manner that you can't help to care for all the characters for different reasons.

The masterpiece is the way it unfolds everything, bits and pieces, nuggets left in the past two books... it was just all beautifully executed. I haven't read a more fantastic way to end a trilogy (or any series, even duologies) than this.

This storyline starts Round a year after the events in "The Final Empire", and as expected it turns more political and strategic, given the aftermath of the first book I was actually thinking it would be slower but I did not see this coming at all! Yes it carries "not so fun" topics such as politics, leadership and post-war hardships but it also explores other topics as deep as it can get, such as friendship (very important detail from Kelsier's last words to Vin in book 1), rightness, faith, love, and the character development was exquisite! I think every major character evolved one way or another and that was a nice touch to get to know them better, their true selves, their motivations and their fears.

This book is also full of foreshadowing and plot twists, the ending is mind blowing, so much so that I can totally relate with how Sazed ends up feeling regarding his faith. It does have sins, though, as the second book in most -if not all- trilogies but Brandon managed them so well that it didn't end up being neither boring nor heavy at any point, he does know how to keep a reader engaged through character development.

I can't wait to start the third book ASAP!

This storyline starts Round a year after the events in "The Final Empire", and as expected it turns more political and strategic, given the aftermath of the first book I was actually thinking it would be slower but I did not see this coming at all! Yes it carries "not so fun" topics such as politics, leadership and post-war hardships but it also explores other topics as deep as it can get, such as friendship (very important detail from Kelsier's last words to Vin in book 1), rightness, faith, love, and the character development was exquisite! I think every major character evolved one way or another and that was a nice touch to get to know them better, their true selves, their motivations and their fears.

This book is also full of foreshadowing and plot twists, the ending is mind blowing, so much so that I can totally relate with how Sazed ends up feeling regarding his faith. It does have sins, though, as the second book in most -if not all- trilogies but Brandon managed them so well that it didn't end up being neither boring nor heavy at any point, he does know how to keep a reader engaged through character development.

I can't wait to start the third book ASAP!

Me gustó mucho, la historia, el mundo, la magia... no es lo más original pero yo lo disfruté.

Pienso que un mapa ayudaría para entender mejor la geografía del mundo, y el final me dejó un tanto insatisfecha ya que no cerró siquiera en un "cliff hanger", me quedó la sensación de que estaba incompleto más que otra cosa.

Por esos detalles es que lo evalúo en 4/5, pero en general no me pareció ni aburrido, ni plano, ni infantil como en otros comentarios mencionan.

Leí este libro en español, y la escritura me pareció adecuada pero puede ser que por eso mismo mi experiencia haya sido diferente a la del grueso de otros reviews, además leí mientras escuchaba la playlist en Spotify y de verdad que me encantó, nunca había hecho eso (suelo leer en pleno silencio o con el sonido de la tv con lo que estén viendo mis niños) pero me cambió la experiencia.

Un libro muy bonito para empatizar y mejorar las reacciones como papás. Además les explica a los niños que mamá y papá no siempre saben lo que hacen y tambien tienen malos momentos, platica por ejemplo lo que pasa cuando mamá se desespera muy pronto, o la ve de malas, sin justificar la acción, y también plantea cómo el niño percibe a la mamá.

Una frase que me quedó muy grabada es cuando mamá se molesta y el niño "ve con temor cómo se convierte en algo como un monstruo", y es cierto que cuando estamos con poca paciencia si observamos veremos cómo su mirada cambia y seguro mil cosas pasan por su cabeza... ¿qué impresión quiero dejar a mis hijos? Me ha dado mucho qué pensar en cuanto a mi autorregulación porque ellos aprenden con el ejemplo.

I couldn't stop reading, and when I felt the pace accelerating and realized I was nearly finished I didn't want the story to end.

The book starts about two months after the end if the second one, when Kohen reveals Aisling that he killed her father the Emperor and kills her afterwards. She is enraged by this and hunts him with all her might, bombing Imbria and killing innocent people as a result.

But then Kohen's insistent pleas as well as his brothers' caring of Valor while in the search of her bond in the Wilds make her second guess and actually search for any evidence that her father did indeed try to kill her in several occasions, making Kohen right about her father all along and changing both nations' fate.

She's also preparing to go to war against Maxim so things do not look well when one of her sisters is kidnapped by him and being demanded to marry Maxim as well as to give up Amersea immediately.

It had enough mix of tension, love and hope that keeps the reader engaged throughout the story, I mean... I read 75% of the book in one sitting!

Yes, it felt a little forced a few times and part of the ending felt rushed, especially because there were new backstories thrown in halfway and were concluded just as quickly as they came, but overall I think the author managed it pretty well to make it work and the result in my opinion made justice to the three nations. I just wish it had been longer so we'd have more time to digest those bits and pieces that the author wanted to share ... and also to enjoy the characters, I'm not ready to say goodbye!

I enjoyed this book a lot! even more than crowns of Nyaxia, I'd put this book leveled with Six Scorched Roses also by Carissa Broadbent, which is one of my favorite books ever read. Definitely a good read, with a nice world-building, character development and an intriguing politics system. The magic system still is a bit confusing to me, maybe because it wasn't shown, just kind of explained in the beginning, but ok... I hope with the reading of the next two books I'll get to understand it better.

This book does have some triggers to keep in mind:

• Slavery
• Physical violence
• Child abduction
• Murder described graphically
• Mention of sexual assault/trafficking
• Blood
• War

Carissa writes very beautifully and, to my taste, with respect and justice about these topics that are not easy to put in any book nor any context, but it is also important to mention so you enjoy your reading instead of being stressed or triggered.

This is book 2 in a series, but I had no idea until way in the book. I like that you can read this book as a standalone as well.

The story follows Wyatt, a thriller author that is highly self-confident and is sense of humor is tremendous; and Aubree, the town's grump who had a difficult childhood that shaped her insecurities and low self-worth. It all starts with Wyatt needing to marry right away - after he is left practically at the altar - due to a legal requirement in his grandfather's will to inherit his cabain. It specifically stated that it would go to the first of his grandchild that got married and Wyatt is willing to take marriage as a business transaction to keep the cabain from his cousin Wallace. So he comes up with a plan with the help of his friend Lauren, and the best option is Aubree, a girl who shares the ownership of a farm that was owned by Aubree's late sister Cassidy and her husband (and Wyatt's brother) Clarke who also passed a few years ago.

The banter between both characters is great, it's got the Grumpy-sunshine trope but reversed (she is the grumpy and he is the sunshine), it is a "rivals to lovers" with forced proximity situation where they need to work together to get what they each want with all their heart, but will end up getting what they both needed the most in an unexpected turn of events.

The plot is hilarious and very enjoyable, and I especially LOVED Ethel. I can picture her pretty clearly as the annoying-former-Broadway-performer-turned-into-town's-inn-owner-and-main-source-of-gossip pretty well. And all her scenes are killingly funny.

If you read the first book, you'll have recurring cast bc it is the love story between Hattie (Aubree's younger sister) and Hayes, and they play a big part in the plot for this book as well. If you're like me and didn't read that book that's fine as well because this book gives context where is needed about events in the previous book so it reads as a standalone if you're only interested in Aubree and Wyatt's storyline.

So my rating is 3.75 stars mainly due to the following points:

- I would have liked more conflict between Wyatt and Wallace, it was sold as a big issue all the way through but once it was presented it didn't feel as huge as it could have been, same with Cadance

- I see where Aubree and Wyatt's insecurities come from, but everyone knows what happens when two people do not talk to each other, and having feelings for each other but not opening to each other when it is evident for everyone and also they are to marry became a bit eye-rolling for me but that is just personal opinion because I really become annoyed when people do not communicate... the writing was great, though

-There's a point in which there are sex scenes, but like one after another after another, and I do enjoy good spice but these were very repetitive and the pacing became odd. Suddenly I felt like it became THE focal point when the focal point should have been how Aubree was starting to gain confidence and feel seen, worthy of love, and experience new things in her life that she never thought existed. So I kind of got lost between all that overly explicit spice scenes that to me didn't add much to the story

All in all, I had a lot of huge laughs, some deep moments and I felt related in many ways to multiple characters. To me it was very enjoyable and has become one of my cozy reads now.

This is book 2 in a series, but I had no idea until way in the book. I like that you can read this book as a standalone as well.

The story follows Wyatt, a thriller author that is highly self-confident and is sense of humor is tremendous; and Aubree, the town's grump who had a difficult childhood that shaped her insecurities and low self-worth. It all starts with Wyatt needing to marry right away - after he is left practically at the altar - due to a legal requirement in his grandfather's will to inherit his cabain. It specifically stated that it would go to the first of his grandchild that got married and Wyatt is willing to take marriage as a business transaction to keep the cabain from his cousin Wallace. So he comes up with a plan with the help of his friend Lauren, and the best option is Aubree, a girl who shares the ownership of a farm that was owned by Aubree's late sister Cassidy and her husband (and Wyatt's brother) Clarke who also passed a few years ago.

The banter between both characters is great, it's got the Grumpy-sunshine trope but reversed (she is the grumpy and he is the sunshine), it is a "rivals to lovers" with forced proximity situation where they need to work together to get what they each want with all their heart, but will end up getting what they both needed the most in an unexpected turn of events.

The plot is hilarious and very enjoyable, and I especially LOVED Ethel. I can picture her pretty clearly as the annoying-former-Broadway-performer-turned-into-town's-inn-owner-and-main-source-of-gossip pretty well. And all her scenes are killingly funny.

If you read the first book, you'll have recurring cast bc it is the love story between Hattie (Aubree's younger sister) and Hayes, and they play a big part in the plot for this book as well. If you're like me and didn't read that book that's fine as well because this book gives context where is needed about events in the previous book so it reads as a standalone if you're only interested in Aubree and Wyatt's storyline.

So my rating is 3.75 stars mainly due to the following points:

- I would have liked more conflict between Wyatt and Wallace, it was sold as a big issue all the way through but once it was presented it didn't feel as huge as it could have been, same with Cadance

- I see where Aubree and Wyatt's insecurities come from, but everyone knows what happens when two people do not talk to each other, and having feelings for each other but not opening to each other when it is evident for everyone and also they are to marry became a bit eye-rolling for me but that is just personal opinion because I really become annoyed when people do not communicate... the writing was great, though

-There's a point in which there are sex scenes, but like one after another after another, and I do enjoy good spice but these were very repetitive and the pacing became odd. Suddenly I felt like it became THE focal point when the focal point should have been how Aubree was starting to gain confidence and feel seen, worthy of love, and experience new things in her life that she never thought existed. So I kind of got lost between all that overly explicit spice scenes that to me didn't add much to the story

All in all, I had a lot of huge laughs, some deep moments and I felt related in many ways to multiple characters. To me it was very enjoyable and has become one of my cozy reads now.

I am so heartbroken right now...

I liked how it felt like real life, with its nuances... it shows how people come in and out of our lives as we grow and there's even a quote stating that you don't need to have a fight with your childhood best friend to stop being best friends, sometimes you just grow apart. In this case that turning point in Finn and Autumn's frienship is talked about through both POVs so I really appreciated that, since the book is all narrated through Autumn's POV it is natural to take her side of the story as the fact of what happened and when Finny exposed his side of things it felt all the most relatable because that's real life: we remember things one way and others may do so way different, that's when misunderstandings happen.

It became apparent pretty early on that depression and toxic relationships was going to be the theme of the book, and man ... Jamie is a walking red flag, I just wanted Finn to step in for Autumn bc I thought she wasn't going to do it herself, I'm glad they didn't end up together.

I think depression was handled well, and then again, the person usually doesn't know they are depressed or deny it altogether as Autumn did throughout the book, even her thoughts and actions after Finny's passing make it evident for the reader that she is indeed depressed, and for her it isn't something to be concerned about, it's just a natural course to follow... to me that's what makes depression very scary for the family more than to the person who suffers it.

The ending just had me sobbing, at first I thought it was very hurried but thinking better about it I think it is not about giving a happy ending, the heartache is more intense just because we feel they didn't get to live their love as they were meant to, but there's a little piece of Finn left in this world as a sign of hope for Autumn and The Mothers, a reason to live and love again.

Solid 5 star for me, I don't know if I'll ever get over this book. 💔

Rating: 3.75 stars

The book is written with interlapping stories in the past and the MCs present, both written in chronological order but there's one chapter in the past followed by one chapter in the present and so on. The story follows Macy, a pediatric resident in the Bay Area with a past that is too painful to face, leaving some chapters still open that affect her present. She then sees Elliot, her best friend from her teenage years and the guy who broke her heart. Everything starts to change as old wounds are open, Macy starts to question her currently relationship, and advancing in parallel with her past you get to understand what happened that got her where she is.

Things I liked:

-Love is beautifully developed in the book, from the first interaction all the way through, some things may seem cringy but when one is a teenager you get to have that kind of conversation and find it natural because you are exploring your body. As an adult I didn't enjoy it as much but I understand how it plays in the story.

-I enjoyed pretty much the second half of the book, when Macy starts to take accountability in her current relationship and owns her part in her ghosting to Elliot

-I liked the healthy talks that were held: Macy's dad for one, how he managed being a widowed father and Macy's issues (I dropped my jaw when he managed THE talk every parent fears when their child reaches an age to appropriately address sexuality and safe sex). Also Macy and Sean's mature talk about their dynamics and how it would work when married, it was a nice chapter.

Things I didn't enjoy as much:

-Macy is the main character so both past and present are told exclusively from her point of view, in the end it works but it would have been so interesting to have at least some chapters from Elliot's POV as well, and the rest of the friends would be interesting as well, they are talked about throughout the book but some thoughts would be interesting to hear as they come and not filtered by Macy's POV.

-The first half made me think about DNF it, Macy felt very immature for her age, and like it was so annoying every time she expressed her confussion after seeing Elliot for a couple of seconds, and afterwards she felt like a teenager going to a Justin Bieber concert, and she was 28...... so I really disliked the start. Fortunately after the chapter where she talks with Sean about her final realization that they are not even compatible I think she suddenly matured.

-Linked to the last point, Elliot also seemed so cringy. Like why leave your girlfriend of (not sure if they lasted 1 or 5 years) just bc her saw Macy... huge red flag more than romance there. At least Macy's reason felt more reasonable because at first I thought she was being a dick but then it made sense with Sean being so not in sync with her so... it made sense for the breakup, but Elliot??? Nah...

-I would've liked a faster pacing in the first half, it took me almost 170 pages to stop considering DNF it

All in all I'm glad I didn't quit it, to me it got better past that half mark, and it all was worth it in the end. I got nice parenting advise, had a couple of good laughs, and cried so hard in the last 20 pages or so... which in the end made up for the bullets I didn't enjoy as much.