Anita

My first venture into LitRPG and this hasn't been a disappointment.

I'm intrigued with our main character, who has obviously been made bald to give him a sort of selling point to stand out from our generic main leads. However, the reason given is legitimate (but it seems like he could just...cut and dye it instead?). His skills are interesting, one being his dream skill and the other an unknown, but watching him grow and discover what this extra skill actually is is something I look forward to unravelling in the series.

A decent sequel, focusing on the more character development rather than plot side of things.

While this wasn't an enjoyable as the first book, it was nice to read about the growing bonds within the party. The progression they're making towards being able to hit the Towers, as well as the help they provide Max in order to ensure he doesn't get consumed by his skill is fun to read.

It's interesting to see Max develop as a character. He is clearly young and flawed, combined with an OP skill means he will make mistakes and be overconfident. There are attempts to show how he tries to get through this, showing us he's not just all brawn but has brains too with his meticulous note-taking and investigations into dungeons, but inevitably I fear that he will bite off more than he can chew.

Looking forward to reading Book Three.

A decent follow on from the previous book, with more details revolving around the different political dynamics that the higher levels go through.

Our team wants to enter the Tower soon, which means that preparations must begin. While there are some high stakes involved, ultimately it's another progression book that develops our already beloved characters, both skillwise and character wise. Max is still coping with the dark side of this power, and he finally enters a relationship with Tanila after a bit of push and pull.

Hoping the threat that was introduced in the initial books comes back in Book Four, since there wasn't any mention of them despite it being such a big part of the start.

I want to preface this with: when I finished A Night Ends With Fire, I had to put my e-reader down and calm myself, because I needed to process the injustice Meilin faced at the end of Book One.

I completely understand the need and the sheer sudden way things ended because of the time and the misogyny towards women in this timeline, and yet...

The Dragon Wakes With Thunder explores the dark and gritty much more than the first book. It gave us more information and delved into the usually hidden or barely explored themes, which really built and helped us understand and feel with Meilin, while throwing in plot twists and carrying on with the light romance that had been opened up.

I really enjoyed this book and kick myself for not getting to it earlier. If there is a third, I will be very pleased. If not, I can come to some sort of peace with Book Two.

Oh wow, how did we get here so quickly? It feels like yesterday when we were introduced to the quirky and amazing MCs, and now we're at the end of our adventures with them.

Yet again, this ventures more into the realms of cosy rather than cosy adventure, which I live for. The characters are great, the interactions between them are top-notch, and Rebecca Thorne really pushes the bar back up after the slight lull from Books Two and Three.

Thank you for this series, the journey, and Kianthe and Reyna.

I look forward to Rebecca's future works!

Firstly, I never expected to get an advanced copy of this highly anticipated title, yet here I am.

I went into this knowing that it was hinting at the same kind of relationship that Dramione fans yearned for. So I was not disappointed in the slow burn and enemies-to-lovers tropes on this point; these two specifics were built in deliciously.

Unfortunately, the worldbuilding fell short. It lacked just that same level of description as the characters themselves, which was a shame because it had the potential to become something bigger, and I could see a possible universe coming out of it. Perhaps there was a need to push fanfic to traditional publishing, but perhaps some more time could have been spent in actually using what was a great base and crafting it into something Brigitte Knightley could have used again and again.

Overall, a great read, but only because of the characters themselves. And I'm not actually 100% it was because I separated them from their inspiration.

A direct continuation from the ending of the first book, we're thrown back into the political turmoil that's brewing in Tiankawi.

While Kai's sacrifice was not in vain (still miss him), it only delays the inevitable. Each of the key players (Nami, Mira, Cordelia) are left to deal with their own individual growing problems, and developing. However, while I enjoyed Cordelia's subplot in the first book, it doesn't feel as impactful or necessary in this one.

The ending was wrapped up in an almost too neat way. After showing us what she's capable of through the grief for Kai shown through various characters, the climax of it felt a little lacklustre. It almost felt like a little bit of a letdown after being thrown into such a high stakes plotline from the beginning.

Overall, I enjoyed the duology as a whole, and while it didn't conclude in a way I liked, it gave the characters something.

Since I enjoyed the first book, though I found the pacing a little rushed towards the end, I knew I had to come back to the second to continue the storyline.

Wasting no time, Book Two picks up where Book One left off without any faffing about. The storyline was interesting, though it did stagnate a little once we returned back to the underwater city. Characters were just as well written as in the previous book, with developments only adding to the vivid imagery of them.

Overall a great read, enjoyed it more than the first! 

Kristen Ciccarelli did not mess about, and she threw us right back into the plot.

The world-building continues to be immaculate, following with a solid plotline that rivalled the first book. Rune and Gideon lived up to the enemies-to-lovers trope, with the slowburn and angst that I could feel from them. The pacing was fast, the side characters held their own, and I ended up reading the entire thing in one day.

I had the same feeling with The Crimson Moth, but maybe this book just hit me in the right mood, because I enjoyed it very much.

Ann Liang's writing beautifully reflects the immense journey of a deep undercover mission, with its outcome being a life or death for the people of its nation. This is not a simple love story, but one that revolves around lies, manipulation and betrayal.

Xishi is a commoner but with immense beauty. With this beauty, she becomes a pawn in a dangerous game of deceit. Her character is pretty straightforward - for the sake of her family and the greater good of her nation, she will use her wiles and beauty to distract and manipulate, alongside her dearest and feisty friend, Zhengdan. She has flaws and isn't perfect, yet she cannot let this reflect on the surface.

The intense yearning between Xishi and Fanli was almost torturous, a forbidden love between the two with no expectations it will ever come to fruition. The relationship with Fuchai was also complicated, and I wish his character was developed more, despite his place in actual history.

A short but concise retelling of the Legend of Xishi, one of the Four Beauties of Ancient China. Beauty can be underestimated, and in this instance it was used to its fullest.

An interesting debut fantasy novel, which strong YA vibes. Our main character is someone who has experienced early hardship, with many flaws that a teenager/young adult would experience, providing strong character development as she tries to find herself in the midst of everything that has happened and has yet to happen.

The world building is immense, with a well-thought-out class system and politics. Somehow, the co-existence of dragons and humans is completely well written, despite it being loosely based upon the 1920s. The more I delved into this delicately concocted world, I was drawn more and more into its darkest, deepest depths, where nothing is what it ever seems on the surface. It gave me vibes reminiscent of Babel or Blood Over Bright Haven, where a simple basic thing can connect to so many more matters without people realising.

A very interesting piece of work, I look forward to further pieces by S. F. Williamson.

Rating: 3.5

After having previously read the other two in the series and seeing the third on Netgalley, I had to request it when I saw it on here.

Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed reading this. It fell a bit flat, the plot feeling rushed and less intricate. Perhaps I was spoilt by the other two books, but this didn't feel like it was up to the standard that had been set. If I hadn't read the first two books and just led with this, maybe I would have rated it higher but overall as part of a series, it didn't live up to the rest. It definitely felt more like a way to introduce and setup characters/plots for another book though.

Also, I personally prefer Lee to Alexander, so maybe my bias is showing because of the character time in this book compared to the last.

This sequel reintroduced loved characters Kianthe and Rayna, as well as adding a new enemies-to-lover pair, Bobbie and Serina.

While advertised as a cosy sequel, I would have said this was a more light-hearted fantasy, since there wasn't any time compared to the first book for our characters to sit down and even have a cup of tea. There were higher stakes than before, and despite there being cosy elements (crocheting mainly), it did not give enough to warrant it being a strict cosy fantasy.

Also, I did enjoy the storyline between our new pair, however I felt like the entire dragon plot line should have had its own book for focus rather being sharing the limelight with another storyline. The love story between Bobbie/Serina should have had their own POVs more than others, since I didn't feel very invested with their romance seen through others eyes.

I will still read book 3, since I am emotionally invested in this series, but I am unsure what direction it will next take in terms of cosy.

This book had a lot of potential, with the plot as well as the portrayal of a few of the characters, however the execution of it kind of got lost along the way. While there were some clear attempts to explain and dive deeper, a lot of things were flat out told instead of explored. There wasn't enough building around the little bits and pieces we were given, which kind of left the writing a bit basic. Because of the above point, I found it a little difficult to really get into the story and journey that Danae was going through. A lot of it was held together by the other characters. There was no satisfaction going through what our MC does.