Lisa
3.5 ⭐️
I like the overall plot of the book, I just don't love the writing. I don't think I'll read many more McFadden books because this is not my normal genre, I read the book after seeing the movie. I did guess the twist in the film very early on. I don't think I would have guessed it reading this book though.
3.5 ⭐️
I know it's probably mostly leading up to the final series, but reading it as a standalone “ten original love stories”, I didn't love all of these stories.
Stories I loved:
Will & Tessa though it felt so short and honestly having Will not know Tessa for any amount of time feels like we were robbed of their love. Will & Tessa remain my absolute favorite couple in the Shadowhunters universe and having them be anything but disgustingly in love seems like a waste. Still I love my time with them, always.
Luke & Jocelyn (but really just Luke). This was such a great short story about their history and the lead up to City of Bones from Luke's perspective. It was heartbreaking to know how much he loved her always, and how little she knew. Also, Valentine just sucks!
Julian & Emma also had a great story because it focused on them as a couple and really delved into their love for each other.
What went wrong for me in the other stories:
James & Cordelia - too much Lucie, this was more about and author and her work rather than the couple it states to be about.
Thomas & Alastair are one of my favorite couples in the universe. I love them so much, but omg I cannot handle children and obviously neither can they! This story was birth control. (I did love the soft moments between Thomas and Alastair when they had a second to focus on one another amongst the frenzy of the plot.)
Kieran, Mark, & Cristina - I'd rather them have been in the cottage together rather than having to work. Maybe it will be important for the next series, but I would have rather had fun times.
Anna & Ari - it was fine. I like Anna and Ari and I did like Ari knowing Anna so well.
Simon & Isabelle - why are they fighting the entire time? Why make this couple who have never had it easy to be honest with each other have to fight for their love so hard again? I just want Simon and Izzy to have something easy for once!
Jace & Clary - I was bored. This was barely a love story. They went to literal Costco...
Sebastian & the Seelie Queen - NO!
Ok I absolutely loved Thatcher and Serena's back story, but this book broke my heart a little with little Peyton.
I wish Gracie and Peyton had been a little bit older. I think Gracie's actions at 15 would have been better and Peyton, maybe 6? I felt 4 was too young for the way Thatch and Serena were handling things - although tough love was a good strategy, four just felt too young.
I wish we could have gotten one Eli/Peyton scene. I missed them.
2.75 ⭐️
It was fine, but as far as this series goes it's a low point. Scott & Kip are my favorites and Heated Rivalry is the best of the books so far.
I like Ryan and Fabian but I was bored and also at one point I felt like their names kept being repeated over and over and over to where they started sounding weird to me, like they were not real words any more.
I wanted to love it, I just didn't.
Tarah DeWitt has me crying over a goose! (Seriously)
This is such a heartwarming book. Fisher and Sage are so good to each other and for each other. I love seeing the Byrd family interact (I wish there was more of them altogether). I especially love Wren and Ellis and the small glimpses of their relationship.
4.5 ⭐️
Keris returned!!!!! (And he was narrated by Sean Masters!)
The final book in The Bridge Kingdom was everything I wanted it to be a more (it was long!). I loved having the multiple POVs - could have used more Keris and Zarrah. The end was intense. Just when I thought ok looks like we're done, nope the audiobook still had like 4 more hours!
I do love audiobooks but I wish the print version had been released at the same time because there are sooooo many characters in this I was having a hard time remembering who everyone was and I didn't have a book to go back and look things up. I will likely need to do a reread once the print version is available.
I still love James and Ahnna and once they stopped fighting each other and started fighting for each other, it just got that much better.
It really was a great ending to the series.
I miss Keris (I really do).
I really loved the chemistry between Ahnna and James, but it was overshadowed by the repetition of the conflicts in the book. In almost every chapter we had a reminder of one of the conflicts (trade, Cardiff, their relationship, Lara, wanting Ahnna to leave) and that repetition was exhausting. I started getting bored throughout the book but whenever there was action, I was pulled right back in. Immediately have to start the final book!
If the fox had stayed dead this would have gotten 1 ⭐️ and I would have never forgiven Callie Hart.
As it is, the fox lives, and this book was thoroughly enjoyable. It had great action, great plot, and amazing characters (Carrion is unmatched). It was fast paced so it was easy to read it quickly. I found this better than Quicksilver.
2.75 ⭐️
There were some things I genuinely enjoyed about this book, but not enough to get it to my 3 star threshold. There were certain plot points that hit close to home for me and I thought were handled really well (relationships with both her parents), however, her mom really made me angry whenever she handled anything with Sam. Ughhh she was frustrating and I really didn't like her. I loooooved Perry though.
I could not stand Kira and I usually love the kids in single parent romances, but I could not stand this child and I think she kept this book from at least 3 stars.
I think I'm rating this maybe higher than it deserves, but whatever it hooked me and I know I'll be reading the second book when it comes out (which will also likely lead to a reread of this book). I loved the magic system in this book (not as much as One Dark Window, but I still really loved this system). The pacing of this book was off. There were really long chapters that led to nothing throughout, and then quick fast paced action chapters as well. The ending solidified my continuing the series, although I'm so sad about Silas, I understand the why, but whhhhhyyyy?
3.75 ⭐️
I loved Sol so much, but I felt like this book was missing some of the romance it deserved to have. We know Judah is a good guy, but I don't feel like we really got to see them fall for each other. We got to see him try and help her and he was a little obsessed with her, but when did she really fall for him back? Even in the epilogue a whole year later, I didn't feel her feelings for him because they were still living such separate lives instead of a more blended life.
I wanted more Adam and Aaron and I wanted to see the two families come together more. I know it would have been a lot for the boys but I also think it would have been worth it to show their struggles more and see them with the family.
The book also wrapped up fast. Edward got off way too easily and we didn't see how the girls reacted to him having another family, another baby or leaving them.
The book was so focused on Sol and her loving herself and being strong enough without a man (which is great) but it's a romance book and I wish we would have gotten more romance with Judah.
This book just reminded me why I love second-chance romances so much!
I loved how it handled grief and how hard it can be to overcome grief and how every day can be a battle even when you are through the worst of it. Grief changes you and you will never be the same again you just learn how to exist as a new person blending who you were with what you've lost and who you are now.
Keris >>>>>
Ok, but for a more detailed review, this book was a little repetitive because it all takes place between the end of The Bridge Kingdom and The Traitor Queen. Some scenes didn't need to be included again (for example, the scene where Aren meets with the Empress). Other scenes did offer more: Keris talking with Aren and leaving the bird book behind.
Still it was a very long book with very little new plot. Still I love Keris and now I have to read book 4 because of course he's going to get the girl back and hopefully kill the Empress.
I was sad about his brother. That whole scene was heartbreaking. I hate Serin!