Sara Machado
Let me be your secret, then. Tuck my words into your pocket. Let them be your armor.
Ruthless vows was a beautiful ending for the series! I've got almost everything I wanted: more plot, deeper worldbuiling, higher stakes, more details on the divines and magic, and obviously, a satisfying conclusion to a wonderful love a story. I just wish we could have seen Nan meeting Iris, and settling the argument if Kitt looks more like a knight errant or a rogue.
I would love to see your words catch fire with mine.
Rebecca's writing message remains focused on hope and love, which is perfectly aligned with the target audience. However, because war was such a central topic on the series, I've felt the end quickly brushed over the heavier topics of healing and rebuilding in order to reach the happy ending, leaving a lot of details open. This is the only reason why I'm taking one star of the rating.
“Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. Write to me and fill my empty spaces.”
This was a brilliant series, I loved it!
I've never done a year end review but I want to start doing it now.
2023 was a great reading year, but my favorite bit was the interactions with everyone I've met in this platform, which completely changed my reading experience.
I love books, and reading is my favorite hobby, however, I often feel lonely while doing it because I want to share my feelings and non readers don't care (which is fair
This was such a nice surprise! Divine Rivals has taken over my feed since its release, but I had my doubts. The hype is absolutely worth it, and I'm glad I read it because I loved everything about it.
The worldbuilding is interesting but not too complex. The characters are strong and I was immediately invested in their outcomes. I want to know more about everything: the myths, the grandparents, the government, the magic...
Rebecca Ross's writing is terrific! She is able to guide the reader through some awful and gruesome events - war, death, grief, alcoholism - focusing on a message of love, friendship, companionship and hope.
I was fully immersed in the story from the first words until the very ending, seeing every scene unfold before my eyes as if it was real, and I was there with them.
This was such a delight to read! Iris and Kitt's love is beautiful and pure, their letters make their personalities shine and their banter is brilliant. I loved to see them opening up to each other, and trusting the other with their deepest secrets and sorrows. Iris is fierce, Kitt is a wonder, and their connection feels natural and palpable.
The ending absolutely shattered my heart.
Some things were a bit rushed, and some things didn't make a lot of sense to me. I'm not bothered a bit by this though, it was divine.
I love you, Iris. And I want you to see me. I want you to know me. Through the smoke and the firelight and kilometers that once dwelled between us. Do you see me?
- - - - -
Pre review:
The ending
I liked Armour of Light almost as much as the first two Kingsbridge novels. This book made it clear to me that what I like most in Ken's writing is the daily events of the characters and the economic background, even if sometimes it has a flare of a soap opera.
I loved all the bits related to the Industrial Revolution and the beginning of automation process on the wool business, and its impact on its workers, their rights and subsequent revolt, exacerbated by the war.
Looking back, Pillars of the Earth should have been my first sign that what I liked was business, and I'm glad I eventually changed majors. This one is also a confirmation that I would love to study industrial management engineering. Give me all the machine descriptions Ken, I just can't get enough of them
Apparently, undertakers and romance are a good match as this is the second one I've read and liked.
Morbidly yours follows the story of Lark, who moved to Ireland for a temporary job as a way to cope with her grief. She doesn't want anything to do with death, but ends up living right beside a mortuary house and befriending Callum, the undertaker.
Callum is wonderful and everything precious we love when woman write man characters.
The romance was quite nice! Lark infuses Callum with life and joy, and he gives her the support and companionship she needed to start healing. We see their friendship blossom to love, and it is beautiful.
The sex scenes were very well written! They were sexy, tasteful, and probably some of the best I've read in contemporary romance. Callum stutters and this issue is treated with care.
The third act conflict was awful! I'm still suffering on behalf of Callum who is too forgiving. I still enjoyed the story as a whole though.
Definitely recommended for contemporary romance readers
I love that Heartstopper exists and kids can grow up reading this series! I've found the issues in this volume particularly relevant as it is centered on college decisions and on the importance of prioritizing ourselves and our future, even on a relationship.
I have only one small issue with this book, and it is what prevented it off receiving my 5 stars. Although contraception is only briefly mentioned, comprehensible on a M/M focused book, it follows the usual approach: “Can't girls just take the control pill? Well, yes, but that doesn't protect against STDs”
There is an urgent need to change the narrative surrounding contraception, shifting the focus from people who menstruate, since ovulation is not a predictable and controllable event, to people who ejaculate, an event that is 100% predictable, controllable and preventable. Food for thought!
Besides this, volume 5 it's a great addition to an already wonderful series, and I am glad we will have another volume until we need to say goodbye to Nick and Charlie. I couldn't recommend this series more!
This Emily Wilde series is the answer for the need I wasn't aware I had of cosy fantasy romance.
I loved Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries and was ecstatic over the opportunity to read the eARC of Emily Wilde's Map of Otherlands, as it was one of my 2024 most anticipated releases. I must say this second installment exceeded all my expectations and I loved every second of it.
Why are Emily Wilde's books such a hit for me?
- Emily and Wendel are everything the fantasy genre needed. Emily is a bit awkward (I agree Emily is neurodivergent coded and absolutely love this) and her main strength is her intelligence and passion for her work. She is sweet, caring, and fierce, all in her unapologetic way. Wendel is a breath of fresh air when compared to typical fantasy MMC. He is beautiful and vain (as all fae are), but also a home fairy obsessed with cleanliness, brave, resourceful, chaotic, protective, and utterly smitten for Emily. Their interactions are brilliant, and I can't get enough of them.
- The story is interesting and told in an original voice/ way. I preferred Emily Wilde's Map of Otherlands because the stakes are a bit higher.
- There is romance but it never overshadows the plot.
- The set of secondary characters perfectly complements the MC interactions and add value to the story.
- Heather Fawcett writing is beautiful, engaging and vividly transported me to this brilliant light academia world.
I can't wait for the third book when we will finally be able to experience fairy without the fog. This was a fantastic read!
I would like to thank Little Brown Book Group UK, Orbit and Netgalley for the opportunity to read Emily Wilde's Map of Otherlands eARC in exchange for an honest an honest review.
Pre-reading thoughts
Christmas came earlier! Thank you so so so much Orbit and Netgalley for the opportunity to read the eARC!
I'm feeling very conflicted about Pineapple Street but mostly I feel disappointed. This is definitely on me, as I was expecting something a bit different, particularly regarding the ending which I found profoundly underwhelming.
Pineapple street is a satirical story about one-percenters (top one percent of a population by wealth), and if this sounds like something you want to read about, go for it! My main issue with it is that I couldn't always feel the satirical tone, and without it, this turns out to be a story about spoiled and privileged brats, with nothing much happening and very little character evolution.
This book has some of the most annoying characters I've ever seen and read about. Georgiana simply has no redeeming qualities, and the remaining characters aren't much better. Being a character driven novel, which I love with all my heart, I expect to see evolution on the character's nature. On Pineapple Street, I'm not convinced much has changed.
On the good side, the book is well written, I was indeed invested in the story, in the different POVs, and I was never bored while reading it.
On the awful side, and this is again a personal issue: There are no words to explain how tired I am about Millennials being ridiculed. Millennials are self-centred, lazy and spend all their money on avocado toasts. As if any of this could ever justify why most of this generation is struggling financially.
We faced the subprime crisis, the great financial crisis and the weakest economic growth and when everything was starting to get better and it appeared we could start “adulting” comes Covid19, increasing interest rates and highest inflation in 40 years. To this you can add the student debt to support us being one of the most educated generations. Luckily for us in Europe, this is not a huge issue as you can study for free or mostly free (I had debt and have some friends in the same conditions though). But our fondness for avocado toast (which I hate) is to blame for not being able to buy houses and end up living with friends of family.
I can write a thesis about this, but I won't. I am incredibly lucky and privileged in regards to my profession and career, and I worked a lot to be where I am now, but I know a lot of people that are not there yet, and I'm just tired of reading the same jokes over and over again. We are doing the best we can, leave us alone and find another thing to make fun of.
I picked this one because I am curious about her second book, releasing in December, and I wanted to see if I liked Lana's writing style.
Unfortunately I got bored of the story around 40% and stopped caring about the characters and their happy ending.
I do think it is mostly a “me” problem as I'm not a fan of stories with kids and their quirky traits, but do try it if you like the single dad trope and spice.
Out now in UK!
City of Stardust is one of the best written books I have read in a while. The prose is absolutely stunning, which worked really well to enhance the beauty of the setting. It's a writing that demands attention and forces you to slow down to savour everything.
The plot was very interesting and fully captured my attention, to the point I was just going to read a chapter before sleeping and when I noticed the time, it was Monday 5.30 am and I haven't slept a bit.
While I did love the book, it took me a bit to warm up to the way the story was being told. We see everything unfold through different characters perspectives, but the story is always told in the 3rd person. This made City of Stardust a bit less immersive that what I tend to prefer and made me feel I knew more about what the characters were seeing than feeling. This is more relevant for Violet's POV than Aleksander, which despite being less lengthy, it is somewhat more fleshed out.
I have seen this book being compared a lot with The Invisilble Life of Addie Larue, and while I understand the comparison, I have found it much more reminiscent of His Dark Materials. If you enjoyed either one of them, do not hesitate to pick City of Stardust in January 2024.
I would like to thank Hodder & Stoughton, Hodderscape and Netgalley for the for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
“The words you can't find, you borrow. We read to know we're not alone. We read because we are alone. We read and we are not alone. We are not alone”
I wanted a light and wholesome read. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry has that in spades, but it is also a bit bittersweet, and left me very emotional.
It is a story about people who love books, to the people who love them. A beautiful story about finding roots and rediscovering the love of living, surrounded by those you chose as family.
“We are not quite short stories. In the end, we are collected works.”
Gabrielle Zevin is indeed a great writer. I loved the structure of this book and how it ended up being a collection of works, where we can see the supporting characters have their short stories as well.
“We aren't the things we collect, acquire, read. We are, for as long as we are here, only love. The things we loved. The people we loved. And these, I think these really do live on”
I don't have much to add as I find myself emotionally drained, yet again. I liked it “enormously”!
Romances help pick up my mood because it gives me great comfort knowing that all will be well in the end.
Even so, I've been reading less and less romcoms lately because the journeys to the HEA became too similar, characters have the same traits and their love stories end up being indistinguishable from others. With the exception of a few authors, it kind of feels I read them all.
Hence comes Tarah DeWitt, her characters and their love stories, that always make me fall back in love with romance.
Sage and Fisher might appear to be the classic sunshine grumpy pair, but they are vaste. I adored to see them picking up their pieces and grow, to open up their hearts and savor the moments.
I can't wait to be back to Spruce and read Gronk and the remaining Byrds HEA.
P.S: I'll share a more detailed review upon Savor it release in May 2024
This was devastatingly sad, achingly beautiful, and I am a sobbing mess.
Another character driven story, another favorite. I should have guessed just by the cover that I would love this.
Hello beautiful is a family saga happening between 1960 and 2008. It's a story about love, friendship and family, and how we are shaped by the persons in our lives, both in their presence, absence and silences.
It's a story about acceptance, and in seeing all of a person, choosing to love that whole.
It's a story about “infrastructures of kindness”
I loved all the characters, William sadness and large heart, Sylvie's caring nature and Julie's determination.
The supporting characters feel like family to me now.
William
William's body—tired and bored by his hesitant mind—had to set off fireworks in his nerves and muscles to alert him that something of import was taking place.“You were afraid of her light?” “No. I was afraid I was going to put her light out. That my darkness would swamp her light.”He wasn't walking away—he was standing in fire. “I see all of you,” he said, but his voice was quiet.“I think sometimes”—now it was his turn to pause—“we need another pair of eyes. We need the people around us.”Sylvie”Sylvie was composed of question marks and feelings that she didn't know what to do with, as if her hands were full and she was wearing pants with no pockets.”“Sylvie leaned against the wall. Because she was clear about what she didn't want, she was alone. She was no longer who she used to be, and she wasn't yet whoever she was becoming.”Julie“I'm a self-sufficient adult, Alice. That's rare for a woman, and I'm proud of that fact.”
Ann's writing is gorgeous and this book will remain in my heart and mind for a long long time. I wish I could give it more stars ⭐️
When I read Fourth Wing I was very disappointed. It felt like a cheap and poorly written copy cat of all the most famous romantasies, with dragon lore from some good fantasies. It also read very YA, which bothered me as it was marketed for adults.
I entered Iron Flame in the opposite mood of Fourth Wing: low expectations and fully aware of its potential flaws - unoriginal, modern language, Mary Sue, lack of plot, easily guessable twists.
The flaws are still there, but you know what? I ate this up and loved it.
The book has significantly more plot and action than the first. I still abhorred the language, but I was never bored, and this time I was actually surprised by some of the twists.
While on the first book I didn't really feel Violet struggling with her illness, and saw her only as the classical overpowered female lead, here I was able to see her dealing with the pain and working to improve her flaws. I was also finally able to believe her strength was her brain.
I liked that some stupid problems of the world were mentioned and criticized (e.g letting cadets die in the school when there's a war going on), but most of all, I loved that Xaden kept being a strong character, not deferring to every Violet whim, while still fighting for her love and trust.
The second half of the book was much better than the first. I hated the ridiculous school setting and I was glad to see it behind. It was time to see other locations and learn about the rest of the nation. Are we still lacking details i consider important about the world? Yes, many! But it was fine, really.
There are still many bits there are absolute nonsense and some bits poorly executed. I still don't understand the war, which, at this point, I find a bit concerning
The keyword for this book is inconsistency. JLA opens Fire in the Flesh with three action packed chapters, that were the best she ever written, and then moves forward to a series of circling and tedious monologues, to pick up again the action, immediately after loosing my interest.
I hardly ever consider DNF a book, and this was a strong candidate for me. I did finish it, but only after pausing it for a bit. Ironically, I've paused reading it exactly one page before the return of some sort of plot/ action, which was quite unfortunate.
A Light in the Flame it's just an info dump to support a new idea for Blood & Ash. If you enjoy that series, you'll need to read this one before, I don't see a way around it.
Most of the book was absolutely unnecessary! There are even scenes that were actually good and end up being unnecessary (key to the jail in case some of you have forgotten
I can see why this is Ali Azelwood's favorite child. Check & Mate is a wonderful YA and I was enthralled by the story from the beginning.
While the story is not one bit believable, it was a fun read and I can see a lot of young adults and people from generation Z relating with the characters.
Mallory is a great female lead: she is strong willed, caring, smart and funny. Her insecurities are understandable and make the final conflict believable. I loved to see her grow and was quite surprised by seeing her admit to her flaws and apologize.
Nolan is the sweetest character and I only wish we could have seen more of him and their romance. He is tall and broody, falls first, but reads Mallory better than a book. He is caring, protective, vulnerable and mature. In one word: Wonderful
Ali knows her readers well, and I'm sure most will appreciate all the pop culture references. This is, however, one of my pet peeves and I wish someone would advise Ali against it. It just dates the books, and not only might presently alienate some readers, it will certainly alienate future readers, while adding absolutely no value to the story. This is a pity because this book actually shows character growth, as opposed to most of YA I've read lately. I would be quite willing to show this to my daughter, but as most of the problems teenagers face cross generations, their “interests” vary. Honestly: TikTok, AO3, Percy Jackson, Riverdale, Timothy Chalame, Goodreads (and I bet some Taylor swift codes which I blessedly won't be able to find) probably won't even be cool next year.
Ironically, this is the book that treats sex in a healthier and positive way.
Gorgeous cover, good romance, great character development. You did great job Aly
“Because it was the only part of you that's ever been mine”
Ravensong follows the story of Gordo, the Benedict's witch. Gordo is one of my favourite characters and I was very curious about what happened between him and Mark and how would they fix everything.
The story is told interspersing the past and the present, picking immediately after Wolfsong events. I loved to read Gordo's back story and to understand how he ended up the way he did. Gordo's past was difficult and my heart was aching for him.
The romance took a less central role in this book which left me disappointed as, for me, T. J. Klune writing shines while building relationships and writing love and angst. Don't get me wrong, this book is full of angst... Gordo and Mark were really stubborn and sometimes I just wanted to scream at them to stop being stupid and be together. However, as the romance felt backstage, and I feel the main plot has too many holes, I couldn't connect as much to the story as I wanted to.
I wished we learned more about the witches, Gordo's tattoos (are they necessary? Are they what makes Gordo special?), is there any function for Abel and Thomas role in tattooing process? Is there blood used in the process?
Overall, I was left with more questions than answers, and uncertain if continuing the series will get me the answers I want.
If you loved Wolfsong, you'll probably love this one too.
All I wanted to do was come home, because without you, I don't have a home.”
T. J. Klune has a way with words that stirs my emotions, and makes me want to return again and again to the stories he writes.
Wolfsong tells us the story of the kind and insecure Ox, who grows up to become something more. We see the story unfold only through his POV, but it is enough to see all characters change and develop along the years.
It's a story about family, love and what bounds as to humanity.
I was loving the book until I got halfway through, and started to feel that the story was dragging a bit. I think I was not a fan of the main action and conflict of wolfsong, but I found the romance beautiful and I believe this series it is worth reading just because of it.
3.5 stars ⭐️
“It had taken all the heartbreak, all the almost love and the wrong love, to know that this love was true love.”
Expectations were high for this book, and this often works against its own success. Overall, I think this is a great series, and I don't regret the effort I made to have the matching UK hardcovers.
Stephanie writing is beautiful, and similarly with the previous books in the series, her storytelling abilities shine on the second half of the book, which coincides when we get more of Jacks.
They got the HEA they deserved, and my main concern right now is: How will they solve Jack's being immortal and Evangeline being human?
I liked the inclusion of Apollo's and Jack's POV, as I see them as more complex characters than Evangeline, and loved to learn about Jack's curse source, which made a lot of sense considering what we learned in the previous book.
The best surprise for me was the role played by Evangeline self letter. Absolutely wonderful!
Other general thoughts:
While I loved the series, I also feel a bit disappointed with its loose ends.
Whereas everyone wanted to know about Jack's apples, I already had that piece figured out... what I wanted to know was Evangeline heritage. Why did she have a connection with the Valor arches? Why did we get some many pieces of her mother teachings to end up not knowing anything more about her? Why did her mother leave the Magical North? Why did she always tell Evangeline the Ballad of the Fox and the Archer? Was all of this because every curse has a back door? Her being a key was a way out for the Valors curse and for Castor's helmet, not for Jack's curse... I don't know.
In my mind, Evangeline was the key for the Story curse, but that bit stays the same, and her role was mainly focused on love... which is ok, but I wanted more. (How do you leave something like the story curse open???
Lift's interlude was my least favorite part on WoR. It is not a bad piece of story, but I found her particularly annoying and I was getting worried about her role in the series.
Obviously, I shouldn't have doubted Sanderson, especially regarding one of his favorite characters.
Edgedancer is far from Sanderson best work, but it was a lot of fun! It took me 4 hours to read it so you can attest I had a great time.
Despite being a novella (on Sanderson standards only, it is indeed a regular novel with 40,000 words), we get to see what I believe to be interesting and important developments on Stormlight Archives, both in terms of characters and plot-wise.
We watch the others. The assassin. The surgeon. The liar. The highprince. But not you. The others all ignore you ... and that, I hazard to predict, is a mistake.”
Lift is indeed a very interesting character and I end up itching to know more about her.
“I will listen,” Lift shouted, “to those who have been ignored!”
Wyndle is just delightful! I mean: “... I was a very regal fork, wouldn't you say?”
More random thoughts: I was hoping this novel would clarify more about the old magic trades but I was left disappointed.. my only advance on this is that her trade was probably the opposite of what she wanted, but I have to wait and see.
If you are on the fence with Edgedancer, don't be. It is a worthy stormlight “novella”!
I see this cartoon covers and I always assume it's a romcom. I read the blurb and I thought “This looks like a happy read, let's save it for a rainy day”. However, the last train home is not particularly happy, it's overall a story about bad timing.
Complaint made, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the story. Elle Cook wrote a set of realistic and relatable characters, whom we can easily understand. We know of their ambitions, insecurities, choices and hopes, we see them grow through life, and we understand them, because either we've been there, or we know someone that was.
This has the feel of a love story that could actually happen, with all its highs, lows, greys and disencounters. I just don't believe on its ending.
Because we know who the final couple is, we know things we'll go wrong at some point. We know the author will need to change the characters to keep MCs mind mostly guilty free.
Sean changes do not come as a surprise, but they felt out of character to me. I also found the end rushed and a bit unbelievable, but it is what it is.
As a finance girl, I always enjoy when the characters are financial analysts, though nobody ever understands what they do, which annoys me. Anyway, the picture of the financing sector and its workers in London, and other locations, was accurate and perfectly captured.
I also appreciated the road trip down memory lane through the subprime, this was so significant, I like to see it now, with the eyes of someone who's not living through it anymore.
Recommended for romance readers who enjoy Josie Silver and Rebecca Serle, and can tolerate heartache until finally reaching the happy ending.
3.5
The butcher of the forest is a dark fairytale like novella, with a stunningly beautiful writing, and an immersive atmosphere.
This book has everything needed for a spooky season read:
- Enchanted forest where kids disappear
- Creepy and mythical creatures
- Difficult decisions
- Magic
- High stakes
- 24-hour limit to the saving operation
This was much darker than I was expecting and I was anxious the whole time, but I really liked it!
Despite the short size and limited knowledge of the past, I was able to connect and care about the characters deeply. I believe that knowing they live under a tyrant played a significant role on this.
The story is very fast paced, and we are thrown into the action immediately, with no time to adjust. This kept me at the edge of my sit the whole time, and the only reason why I didn't read it in one sitting was because I needed to take some breaks from the dark atmosphere.
Premee Mohamed is a fantastic writer and was able to create an enticing world that captured my attention, and that I wanted to know more about, even while recoiling from its darker theme. I am sure going to read more by her!
If you are looking for something light-hearted, this is not it, this is the absolute opposite of a cosy fantasy read... But if you enjoy dark fairytales, or even if you don't, you enjoy well written fantasy, do pick up this book upon its release in February 2024.
I would like to thanks TOR and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
If someone told me I would love a romance happening in a world full of zombies, I wouldn't believe them. Yet, here we are, and it was fantastic!
Hart hunts bodies to avoid them turning into drudges, and Mercy is one of the available undertakers. They started on the wrong foot and every interaction is fueled with hate, but Hart loves dogs and keeps coming back for more.
“She had no right to be full of life when she was surrounded by death.”
I had some trouble picturing this world, which made it more difficult for me to feel immersed on it. However, the characters are spectacularly well developed, and they make the story shine.
Mercy is fully dedicated to her family, but not truly seen by them. Hart is profoundly lonely, and struggling with grief, but he is also brave and committed to do the right things. They both live to work until they find their way to each other, and more reasons to live.
The secondary characters are wonderful, and give a more cosy and lighthearted vibe to the book.
He pressed his forehead to hers, and because it would be absurd to tell her that he loved her, he poured everything he felt into one word: “Mercy.”
I fell hard and fast for Hart, I loved Mercy's commitment with her family and her passion for work. I admit I was mainly on Hart's side, and I think he deserved more most of the time, but I still loved their romance and was on the edge of my seat for their happy ending.
“I was afraid you wouldn't feel for me what I have felt for you since the day I walked into Birdsall & Son and found a woman there who was color and light and joy in a world that had come to seem colorless and dismal and lousy to me.”
I cried a bit, which was unexpected, and laughed a lot. This is one of those books that remind me why I love romances, and it goes straight for the list of my favorite ones.