Suzi

Unbearable people being unbearable to each other, then a twist at the end I saw coming a mile off.

Should have DNFd but wanted to see if I was right.

I wasn't quite as connected to this instalment as I was with the previous two but I did really enjoy the direction this has taken after the Scrimmage.

I also like how we see how Paige isn't the shiny infallible chosen one, yes she's in a position of power but she's still young, impulsive and isn't immortal so does actually have to work for their goals.

Definitely one of the strongest instalments in the series.

This follows the progression of Henry VIII from a young and promising Prince, to the brutal, paranoid despot he ended up, all told through the life of Margaret Pole.

I always like that these stories are often told from the point of view of someone outside of the immediate royal family, so we get a sense of the goings on of a household, political maneuvering and drama but also the family life of those in the court.

I've always had a bit of an up and down relationship with King's books - at the core they are great stories, but they're often long, meandering and bloated with unnecessary tangents.

This book did have some of those things, but compared to others it was nearly as bad and I ended up really enjoying it. I even teared up a little at the end!

Definitely my favourite King to date.

5 stars, as usual. The woman cannot write a bad book. I'm so glad to see this is going to be a series too.

After loving books 1 and 2 in this series, I struggled with the first 200 or so pages of this one. I felt like there were a lot of new people and places introduced too quickly, especially after 2 books without them. It felt a bit messy and hard to get into.

The book definitely picked up towards the half way mark and it felt more cohesive with the earlier books.

Overall I did really enjoy the series and do recommend it, but I was a little disappointed to not love this last book.

This wasn't quite the level of KoD and AoM for me, they were my favourites in the series (for now). There were some WTF moments, some absolutely out there chapters which made my head spin but it there were some really touching moments with Cassandra which I really enjoyed.

Bring on SUT!

Another great instalment in this series, I especially enjoyed the setting in Chinatown and the Chinese mythology sprinkled throughout.

I wasn't sure about this at the start, I was unsure how Maria's story would go, we hadn't met Charlotte and I didn't really connect with Alice's chapters, but there was a shift during one of Maria's chapters and I was completely hooked.

This is dark and atmospheric and I really enjoyed it.

A good intro to the author's world, characters and writing style, all of which I liked. I especially liked the very end which opened up a load of questions about the mysterious assassin in grey and how he fits into the plot.

I thought I knew what Cradle was about...then I read it and realised I didn't know what Cradle was about.

That said, I did enjoy it! It was a bit of a slow start and the world building was a bit lacking, but things definitely picked up in the second half.

I didn't feel particularly connected to Lindon but as the books are quite short, I feel like this will change in the next book.

I really didn't expect the sci-fi elements of this, and at the moment I'm still really unsure where that's going to go and how it will play into the longer plot but I am intrigued.

I loved The Last Mrs Parrish but this was so contrived with so cringy writing and dialogue. It doesn't even seem like its written by the same people.

This has been on my radar for a while and I'm so glad I decided to read it (just ahead of book 3 being released!)

Whilst I love a traditional fantasy setting, I really loved the world that this was set in and the mix of fantasy and industry, such as the pyrestones and stormhulks.

I really enjoyed all of the character POVs and where their storylines took them across the world, the pace was spot on with short, interesting chapters and packed full of action and political maneuvering.

I can't wait to see where this series goes next!

This series just gets better and better with each book. My god.

DNF @ 64% (27hrs audio)

There's a good story in here but I just can't get on with many, many casual threats and mentions of rape and assault. It's been years since I read the first book so I'd clearly forgotten how bad it is, but its so jarring each and every time it comes up, which is a lot. And for this to be written by a woman is even worse.

I really struggled with how to rate this one by the end, as I enjoyed parts of this especially the characters and most of the times it was just them interacting and journeying through France. Where this lost me was actually a lot of the horror elements, the bizarre dream sequences and the meandering chapters to other places and characters.

I would check out other books by this author and hope they work a bit better for me.

DNF @ 52%

I think the author was trying to write an adult thriller but it still read very much as YA, from the over explaining of every little detail, to the relationship forming between Alex and Daniel. I'm not against YA but this just felt confused, like it didn't know what it wanted to be. It was also boring and I just don't have it in me to finish.

This was so good, I absolutely flew though this one. Whilst I liked book 2 a little less, this one was definitely on the same level as book 1 for me. Onto the next!

Well that was underwhelming.

Given how much I loved and reread the original trilogy, and how much I enjoyed Haymitch's character, I expected to love this but I was so disappointed.

There's 200 pages of build up in a 372 page book, then a completely dull "games", him pining over "Lenore Dove" and then a super quick ending.

I haven't read Ballad but I am now even less excited to do so. Ugh.

Another great instalment in this series, albeit not my favourite.

I absolutely loved the first half of this one, however the second half just got a bit too wild - there was so much going on, it just became a bit too much at times.

The epilogue was very intriguing so I'm looking forward to book 5.

So this was definitely a vibe....unfortunately it was not my vibe.

I can sort of understand why so many people love this, but it's really not my kind of thing. It's long, slow, pretentious and honestly a bit boring, which is the worst thing a book can be.

The first half wasn't that bad, I was intrigued enough in these fairly unlikeable characters, their mysterious classics class and how they would eventually come to kill one of their friends.

Then said big event happened and after that I just did not care one bit. It was repetitive and meandering, there was a lot of telling and not showing. It was tedious.

I'm glad I tried it as it's so beloved but it wasn't one for me.

I love all of Catherine's books, but something in this one wasn't quit hitting like all of the others have.

It may be that I didn't connect with the characters as much this time, or that I've read so many I can see the clear plot points being hit through the story as her books can be formulaic, although I will say that formula usually works but in this one it just felt slightly predictable.

This was my first Grady Hendrix and whilst it wasn't a new favourite, I will definitely try more from him.

I mostly liked this, I think the writing was good, and the atmosphere and setting were great, but my main issue with this was that it was just too long. Some scenes were really drawn out when they didn't need to be. If this was around the 400 page mark it would be spot on, but it just seemed never ending, especially as the plot revolves around the suffering of these girls - the suffering they go through with their pregnancies and births, as well as the suffering at the hands of the adults running the home and their own families. It was just a lot for a long time.

I did not expect to be crying by the end of this, I thought it was going to be a cute sports romance but it's definitely got deeper levels and has some really emotional moments, especially with Caleb and memories of his dad.

I really liked the relationship between TJ and Caleb and how it grew, as well as the focus on their respective sports.

I'll definitely be reading more from Michae.

T.M. Logan never lets me down with a good, quick, twisty mystery thriller and this one was no different.

I will say that I saw some of the twists coming, but it didn't detract from enjoying how the story played out.

It's not my favourite from this author but it's a tough choice as they're all so good!