Beattz

I received this book for free in a sponsored giveaway. These thoughts are my own, and I have not been compensated for them.

I DNF'ed this at the 51% mark. I gave it a fighting chance, as the premise and the first few pages had me intrigued and even giggling. Unfortunately the writing got pretty tiresome quickly. The Orc character Ozar doesn't seem to have a limited vocabulary for not being a native English speaker but repeated use of certain terms (including exclusively, and very frequently, referring to his genitalia as his hand-axe) was off-putting. You could see the author was going to pretty great lengths to create emotional depth for Ozar, but in contrast, the FMC, Jordan, did not get the same treatment. Her empathy was unidirectional, her dating biases were loud, and she gave a person practically brand new to her realm a 5 minute lecture on incels. It was all very messy.

This book has probably been on my TBR the longest, certainly of anything I've read in the last few years.

Overall, I liked it. I appreciated that the other peoples of the continent mentioned weren't just used as background filler for the world building, but actually came into play throughout the story. And long enough to get a view on culture and customs (even if they were pretty copy pasta from irl peoples and groups).

For a nearly 1000 paged book, things moved quickly. I think I did myself a disservice listening to the audio and not being able to keep all the gentry straight. I'm sure their deeds would have been more poignant if i could remember more precisely what else it was that they had done leading up to that point, etc. I expected there to be a more prolonged development of the relationship between her and josclin and even hyacinth, not that I'm a huge fan of love triangles. I guess i just expected everything to take longer, especially the finishing of her mark. I very much appreciated the high stakes and that important characters didn't have plot armor.

I'm honestly not sure one way or the other if I'll continue the series. It's quite the time commitment, and there's just so many books demanding my attention!

this was so very sweet. another fantastic story of found family, overcoming perceived weaknesses, and learning who one wants to be. highly recommend.

What is there to say about Hallowpeen that has not already been said? I, myself, haven't read any reviews, but I can imagine. Better than I could have imagined the contents of this book, anyway. I really shouldn't have been surprised by anything that happened after page 16, when Asha is eyeballing the jack-o-lantern on the front porch and calls it her boyfriend in her mind. But page after digital page, I was wowed again and again. I don't think I've ever taken as many screenshots of quotes from a book, let alone one that was only 111 pages long. After much reflection, I'm still not sure I have an absolute favorite, but one of the frontrunners is definitely "Just because my guts have been ripped out, doesn't mean I can't rearrange yours."

But wait, there's more. In part two we get to meet ManCandy, with his cotton candy hair, gum drop eyes, and gummy bear ejaculate. Yes. You read that correctly. His lines, shockingly enough, were cringier than the Hallowpeens, but you work with what you've got, I guess.

All in all, an evening well spent. I'm very much looking forward to exploring more of Ms Wilde's work, especially the deviled egg and TBR sentient romances. Super grateful I've always leaned more towards gummy worms than bears, as I will never have one of those again, without thinking of this book.

This book was wild. From beginning to end. It was such a good time, but not lacking in emotional depth at all. The characters were super engaging and unique, the world is rich and well developed. And just so much fun. I can't wait to read the next book.

This is a book that constantly denied me the thing that I wanted, and in doing so, figuratively transformed me into one like the characters with sharp, white teeth, a bottomless hunger, and a flair for the dramatic.

This is an entirely character driven story with a classic VE Schwab ending. I really like that about her writing. Someone will get a "happily ever after." But maybe not the person you thought, and likely not in the way you envisioned it. It's why she's become an "auto-buy" author for me. The entire first half of the book all I wanted was the perspective of the one person that wasn't there, and the same in the second half. It was ruthlessly cleverly done. In a similar vein to Addie, there a quotes sprinkled throughout that ring of timeless truth in a mildly devastating way. And that too, echoes the plight of our characters. Ever living, ever rotting.

In the end, because I was always left wanting, I didn't engage with this book quite as much as I have some of her others, despite the overall quality of the book.

This is the third installation of the Kindred's Curse series, and *allegedly* number 4 will be the last. I hope so. Not because I want the story to end, but because I need to know how the story ends.

This whole book was one of discovery. Whatever you thought you knew going in, prepared for it all to be blown away. The enemy is finally revealed, the politics have gotten increasingly convoluted. Allegiances are tested, as well as the limits of power. New friends make themselves known in the nick of time, and we say goodbye to the most loyal of subjects (I'm still crying tbh).

It's not perfect. There's a lot of getting lost in revelations of love. For like, *pages*. But I'll forgive it again, because, well. Luther. He puts many a book boyfriend to shame and deserves to be praised a little. And Diem. Sweet, silly Diem. I want to shake you, but I need you to win this war. If you back down because of your conscience at the last though, I am afraid we will have to call it quits and I will curse you loudly and scream about it with my friends.

I'm starting to notice a pattern. Over the years, I my reading tastes have (d)evolved to really only wanting to enjoy abstract/fluff. I do not like feeling real feelings about real (posed as fictionalized) injustices. To me, it's the same thing as watching movies about war (I can't). The reality is so atrocious - to "romanticize" it in anyway for public entertainment just feels wrong on a bone deep level to me.

So. Objectively. A book about the magic of words is fascinating. There's an elegance to the symmetry at the beginning and ending of the story. The book was written in such a way that you forgot that it was always the fate of the tower of Babel to fall. It's a hard book to read - the matters of racism and colonialism are on every single page not allowing the reader to look away even for a moment.

Subjectively, It's thick with words and feels like trudging is necessary at points. Most of the characters aren't likeable. I spent a lot of time frustrated with Robin. I don't know if it was a youth thing, or a split loyalties thing, but every time a decision was set before him, his proclivity to take the easy way out made me steam. I understand that character flaws are a thing, and this was an effective one.

In conclusion, read what makes you happy.

I don't really know what to do here.

The book was objectively good. I just feel like I got suckered. It was tagged as cozy scifi, so it immediately put me in the mind of Monk and Robot, which I adore, but that's not what I got. I thought maybe the misunderstanding was my own because I don't often read the backs of books, I go on friend recommendations and vibes (and believe it or not, it works out pretty dang well for me most of the time). But I went back and read the blurb, and I think I would feel just as let down (?) if I had done that beforehand.

It was well written, it was poignant. It's even timely. It's also heavy. It ends on a good note, which was a relief, and of course there's moments of triumph scattered throughout, but each of those moments is counterbalanced with a dose of reality that just kept me from engaging with the book the way I wanted to.

I seem to be in the minority with this opinion, so take it with a grain of salt. That's the beauty of books after all. Everyone gets something different out of them.

This was the book of the month for a spicy book club I'm in. Based on the dedication page, I almost put this book back down before I even started it. But some friends convinced me it wasn't as scandalous as it sounded. And I guess they were right.

Do not be mistaken. This is full on monster smut. The fella does not physically resemble a human at all. But that doesn't mean he's completely without humanity (please do no ask how he gains that). And that makes him endearing, and dare I say it, makes the FMC's attraction to him plausible.

I've got so many things on my TBR that I honestly don't know if I'll continue the series or not. There's nothing in the book itself, or with the writing or anything that would preclude me from doing so, just the fact that I have other things that I want to get to more.

This was a fun little short story recommended by a discord server I'm in. Based off of a Dungeons and Dragons character the author created and never got to play, he was loathe to let Gam Gam the Necromancer go to waste.

This is exactly what you think you'll get when you read the title. Gam Gam is a little old lady, loves to knit, and has a very strong caretaker personality. The ideal Gam Gam. Only a little more "special". Gam Gam is a first level necromancer, has a skeletal cat companion named Nugget, and a specter protector named Sir Giblet. When twelve year old Mina stumbles into her camp seeking refuge after being chased all night by soldiers with dogs, Gam Gam asks no questions and comes to her defense immediately. The rest of the story follows these two as the seek a more permanent freedom for Mina.

I enjoyed this story, the writing was good, if a little flowery to begin with - but forgivable when you know he's a long time GM, and is used to "setting the scene" for his players. I'll totally read the second installment to see where Gam Gam and Mina adventure to next.

This is the second Witcher book I've read. I know there's debate about what the reading order is, and it seems I've landed on chronological. If I hadn't watched the first couple of seasons of the show, I think it would have been a lot harder to follow. We're introduced to characters without backstory, and I assume that would make sense if one was reading them in publication order. It's also got a nonlinear timeline, so there's some other mental gymnastics required there.

I've never really understood the complaint of fantasy novels using "real world" curses and things like that, but for some reason, the ones in this book stuck out like a sore thumb to me. It knocked me out of the story more than once. Also, the way the author describes female anatomy was boorish and immature.

Other than that, it's an imaginative collection of short stories with lots of monsters and fights. I'll definitely read the next one, so I can see the difference with that and the collections I've read so far.

The Enchanted Greenhouse was the second installment in the world created for The Spellshop. This novel introduces us to the previously alluded to librarian who worked the illegal spell that brought Caz the sentient spider plant to consciousness. Who was consequently made an example of by an unforgiving justice system in a flailing empire.

The story follows said librarian, Terlu Perna, as she is miraculously awoken on a largely deserted island that contains, you guessed it, an enchanted greenhouse, and one fairly surly (but obviously very handsome) gardener. Turns out the greenhouse is failing, one room at a time, and she's been sent here to help save it. Out of her depth, readjusting to mobile life, and forced into proximity with someone who gives every indication to not want her there if she can't help, Terlu sets about trying to get her life back in order.

All in all, I liked the book pretty well. I enjoy the world building very much, and hope we get more books in the future. Unfortunately the characters fell a bit flat for me this time. I will say this though, SBD does write characters with high emotional intelligence and that's refreshing anytime you get it.

i think there's really only one thing i need to say about this book regarding its contents, bc everything else was fine. nothing groundbreaking, but entertaining enough.

something that wasn't addressed at all when talking about the kinks explored in this book was sub drop and aftercare. im not an expert, so i wont try to go into detail, but i do think it's neglectful, and possibly harmful to have not done so. its as much a part of safe play as consent, trust, and safe words. when lukas abandoned vandy for those two weeks after their first interaction, its quite literally the worst thing he could have done from a real life standpoint. regardless of whether or not they had a "just sex" agreement with no strings attached, there are endorphins and hormones and vulnerabilities in play that simply cannot be ignored when engaged in safe play, and you'd expect these characters who are supposedly not new to that lifestyle to know that, talk about it, and respect it.

I had so much fun with this book. I can't remember the last time I kept putting a book down, just to share the ridiculous/hilarious quotes I kept coming across. When I was about a third of the way through, I told some friends that if I were ever to write a book, *this* is exactly how I would hope it turns out.

This was a delightful cozy fantasy set in modern England and where magic is a mostly unknown secret. Kinda like HP, there are nonmagicals who are aware, but they're few and far between. There's magical schools and institutes available, but they tend to cater more towards those with "lineage". The book opens with our FMC Sera, 15 at the time, performs a piece of magic that should be nigh on impossible. And the rest of the book is the consequences that follow.

I loved the cast of characters. This found family is a ragtag bunch of weirdos, and it's a riot. The writing, in my opinion, pitch perfect, any other tone than the one it set would have ruined the story. I appreciated so much that the main characters were actual adults, and I thought even the romance was handled in an adult way, which I really appreciated. Can't sit around being all moon-eyed, there's things to do! (but also, did you *see* how his jumper brought out his eyes??)

All in all, can't recommend this book enough, can't wait to go back and read "The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches" set in the same world, and see what else the author has on offer!

Man. This book was a ride. I read it as part of a list challenge and only knew a little bit about the premise of the book. I still haven’t read the blurb, but if it gives anything away, it would have ruined the experience.

I fully considered quitting after the first third of the book. The MC is unbearable. The plot/premise of the story revolving around social media/the world of influencers is of zero interest to me. I honestly can’t tell you why I kept going, other than the completionist beast that lives inside me.

However- I’m glad I kept going. There were still definitely parts that made me grit my teeth but all of that was part of the story. The ending was absolutely appropriate and well played. I don’t want to give anything away, but if you’ve been considering checking this out from the library, go ahead and do it and then send me a message so we can chat about it.

This installment in the SoS series was a bit of a miss for me. I still very much enjoyed my time in this world, but less so the characters it focused on, and the hero's flaw that needed to be "worked out". It may very much have been the case because I was doing audio this time, and so I wasn't as locked in to the story, but I don't think that's all of it. But there were also no gnoles in this book, and that was completely unfair.

Tbh, this book just really made me want a book for Wren.

SPOILERS FOR REAL

I enjoyed this book a lot. It had some issues, but with this installment, I fully recognize that the series earned the Hugo Award it just won.

This book came out of the gate swinging. I was worried after the disappointment of book 2, but Rebecca knew what she needed to do, and got right down to business. The writing, as always, was spectacular. Our main characters so intense it was impossible to look away from them. The plot itself was a little shakier. A lot of time was spent in some places that didn't seem as necessary, and rushed in others that I would have liked to linger in. For example, we spent a whole lot of time at the the war college w the spearmaiden sovren who ended up being largely unimportant to the plot, other than giving Lord Balam a place to scheme outside of Tova/Cuecola. And, in my opinion, ofc, not nearly enough time with Serapio when he comes face to face with Pogweh, and learns that Balam is his father. That felt like it could have been a confrontation of the century. Something at least as emotional as what he had w Marcal. And yet, he just walks through the shadow gate.

My only other real complaint was the bit about the prophecy, and it showing up so late in the game. Typically that kind of thing would be used in the beginning, then we get to watch it unfold throughout. It was another example of feeling rushed, I guess. I do understand how/why it wasn't present earlier, but I guess I just wanted a smoother transition maybe? Felt a little clunky, especially when Serapio immediately starts to try and manipulate it assuming he knows what it means. Straight into action with barely any forethought, and that's just not part of the Serapio we've gotten to know, who's been very intentional with his actions up to that point.

That being said. I thought the ending nailed it. Xiala just doing Xiala things, kicking ass and not bothering to take names. Esa getting her comeuppance (although I wish that backstabbing captain had gotten his too, but alas). Coyote finally making their presence known, and for the most part, gods back in the heavens, where they belong. The epilogue did make things a little *too* neat, but, I wanted that so bad, I don't even care.

There's so much more I could get into, but I've said enough already. This series was a banger. Check it out.

Ignoring the controversy around RPF/publishing what amounts to fanfic -

The storyline was pretty good - I’ve not read any other rock star romances, so I’m not sure how the two mc’s typically meet, but this was done in a believable manner. The characters themselves feel realistic and are written well, although I’m finding that the more romance I read, if the book is going to be in first person, I prefer dual POVs. Having only one POV when the narrator is plagued by whatever flaw they happen to have gets tedious for me after a couple hundred pages.

This book features a singer/songwriter, and so has lots of lyrics sprinkled throughout, as well as poetry. All of that was a miss for me. It was very much an attempt at emulation of a specific voice and it rang hollow - tons of flowery language and that’s not my cup of Barry’s.

All in all, a middling experience.

This read kind of like a crazy Arthurian fever dream. Grossman seems to have a penchant for writing MMCs that you want to throttle regularly. (Quentin will forever be my fav character that I love to loathe.) I think my experience was hampered by the audio- the VA’s female voices were either indistinguishable, or, I swear, he actually just plugged his nose for one of them.

This is going to sound harsher than I intend it to, but it really is the best way I can describe what I read.

This book reads like a third grader wrote it for a creative writing assignment in English class, and when she got a similar assignment in the 8th grade, she decided to just, expand on it a bit, and turn it back in for credit. And then did the same thing in college. It's cute. I mean, baby dragons, am I right? What's not to love. But everything aside from the adult content feels incredibly juvenile. The writing is repetitive and clunky. About halfway through the book, after the MMC has been having *dreams* about the FMC for stated weeks, he then takes a moment to ask himself, "Do I like her?" For real? The tension has been building since the first chapter, and it takes 130 pages to ask yourself if you LiKe the person? It tries to use several of the classic romance tropes (grumpy sunshine, fake relationship, there's only one bed, billionaire) all in one story and it just feels far too crowded.

All in all, I did like the story, I swear! Just, not enough to pick up the next book in the series, I don't think.

They had us in the first half. Not gonna lie.

I was all aboard for a time travel adventure. This is super light when it comes to the “science” in the fiction. Time travel technology exists, secretly, of course, but we don't know how it works and even it's origins are vague. That's fine. I'm good as suspending belief. The premise seemed kind of half baked. Pull some not to be missed persons from the past and bring them to the future, acclimate them, then turn them into Ministry assets. Why they couldn't have just invested in current persons to train as assets, I have no idea. Well, other than that's not much of a story to read, I suppose. Each time traveler, of which there are six, is paired with a handler referred to as a “bridge”, and the story is told from the POV of one such Bridge, partnered with an Arctic explorer from 1847. We never learn the narrator's name, only that she's female, half Cambodian and daughter of a refugee immigrant, and wants nothing so much as to be a good cog in the machine.
The story progresses for the first half of the book as you think it should. You're introduced to all the players, get some back story on them, see the rumblings of what will become the conflict. All good and well. And then. And then they insert what feels like a very forced and awkward and unnecessary romance. And that becomes the focal point for the next 40%. Which is lame. Then the conflict comes to a head and it's all so very disappointing. It's over relatively quickly, with a sense of disbelief because, 1, that can't be all, 2, it might not even have worked, and 3, the apparent consequences that did exist might just come undone.
If the story had continued as it started, this could have been a great book.

This is shaping up to be one of my favorite series of all time. It's just fun. The writing is good, the characters are great. The story? HNM, you got me on this one. Like, that one thing, sure. I saw that coming. You tried to distract me, it worked for a second, but, yeah. Totally. But that other thing? THAT OTHER THING?? Ma'am. And the last thing, you better be prepared to explain yourself for that one.
Look, all I'm saying is that if I have to wait more than a year for the fourth and final book of this series, you may have to institutionalize me, because I am already foaming at the mouth. (Insert Adam Driver MOAR gif here.)

I joined a certain Discord server back in April, just 2 weeks too late to have participated in the buddy read and consequential 3 hour long voice chat to discuss the intricacies involved in Morning Glory Milking Farm. It will go down in history as one of my biggest regrets.
It's hard to sit here and try to write a serious review about a book that is so serious in regards to minotaur “milking”. It's all very clinical - when you ignore the fact that the FMC Violet's very first solo mission results in her falling in love first, with an appendage, and then, eventually, the bull to which it is attached. There's scrubs, and sterilization (not that kind, obvs) procedures, and barcode labels and industrial strength lubricant.
But it wouldn't be a romance book if there wasn't also the compulsory sweet moments when they meet outside of the farm for the first time, or she learns that he always eats dessert first, and he comforts her when there's a death in the family, etc. There's personal growth and shared intimacies and hallmark jokes.
All in all it's not nearly appalling as one would assume. The writing is decent, although, once again, it would benefit from a stronger editor as there were several typos in my copy, and that just gets under my skin. I don't know that I'll read the entire series, but being a Mothman fan, you know I picked up Sweet Berries, so I'll report back in after I read that one.

I picked this up bc it was Colbert's first (and last, I'm assuming) sci-fi/fantasy book club pick.
This book being the 2024 Booker Prize winner felt exactly like when a super arty and daring movie wins the Oscar for best picture. Is it objectively good? Yes. Did anyone enjoy it? Eh.
Most of the writing rolled right off me. You get to know precisely one thing about each of the characters, and anytime you interact with them, it's just more about that thing. There's no plot to speak of, and certainly no climax or resolution. I'm not even sure what the timeframe of the book is. Sixteen orbits, which they made clear is not the same as days, so even that left me feeling at a loss.
I understand that's all probably a big part of the point. We get a slice of life in a space station, where, truly, nothing happens. Their days are the same over and over. The people sharing the space aren't friends, and don't know anything about one another. Time is meaningless because the sun rises multiple times in the awake period.
So I'm left with this work of fiction in my hands, and I don't know what to do with it. Or say about it. Or even feel about it. It's like I'm in zero gravity and all the parts just floated past me, having zero impact on my trajectory.