Patrícia
3.5 ⭐
It was cringy at times tbh (especially bits of the dialogue), but the storyline is compelling enough that - for now - I wanna know how the rest of the series goes. It feels a bit like Divergent meets the X-men. We'll see how the other books go. Still confused how the pairing I know is endgame will end up being endgame but we shall see. I really don't like love triangles though...
This was a delight to read. Or listen because I “read” the audio book. The narrator did such an awesome job at it, that I was glued to my earphones!
This is the perfect romcom book that will have you squealing throughout! Although I remember feeling annoyed by the MC in the beggining, she grew on me in such a way that I can't even remember why I found her annoying at first. Honestly I can't wait to watch the TV/movie adaptation - it will become an instant classic!
Finished it! I can definitely see the appeal. The book is a thriller more than romance/erotica (covers can be deceiving...even though there is smut, so be warned!). It sort of reminds me of “How to Kill Men and Get away with it” that I read earlier this month. If I can point out any flaws, it is definitely the romance bit - only because the way it begins isn't believable for me and doesn't match the MC's personality (people with trust issues don't really just fall in love at first sight while barely knowing the other person...but I digress). I'm gonna read the next one because this one ended on a cliffhanger (another thing that makes no sense bc the book is like a 100 pages...the whole series could probably have been just 1 or 2 books), so we will see how that goes. Still it's a 3.5⭐ read for me!
PSA: please check content warnings if you have any triggers, because the story gets quite graphic.
I have so many mixed feelings about this one. It has left me with this unsettling sensation of loss after a grand journey of highs and lows. And yet, I think this will be one of those books that I will return to hoping to find comfort. Not gonna delve much further into it because I don't wanna spoil it for anyone. As polarising as it was, I recommend it wholeheartedly.
I went into it a bit reticent because I thought it'd be another take on the common enemies to lovers trope...but I saw a passage on twitter that made me want to read it (it's apparently from another book in the series though) and I was not disappointed! Romance - while somewhat a part of it - is definitely not the focus point of the book. Besides all the fae lore that I absolutely love, the narrative focuses a lot on the political aspect of the kingdom of elfhame and the land of faerie and the inner conflicts and growth of the main character. I feel romance might more of a focal point later on (in the next books of the series) which makes sense with how the storyline has built up so far. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series!
Poorly researched. A ton of outdated and inaccurate information that any actual fan can tell was taken out of a quick Google search. There's a reason it's unauthorised I guess. Save your money.
Adjusted my rating after reading the sequel. I liked the sequel (“The Love Wager”) slightly more but it felt like reading the exact same characters in slightly different circumstances - even though they're supposed to be completely different people. If it weren't for having read “Better Than The Movies” (which I loved), I'd think the author was a one trick pony. The main characters in both books have exactly the same dynamics and personality, so it all just fell a bit flat on me. It wasn't bad but I think my expectations were quite high. Still there were enjoyable bits here and there.
This one is probably my favourite read this year so far. I absolutely fell in love with this story and all the characters and I could talk about it endlessly. The best way I think I can describe it is imagine if there was a Diagon Alley in the Lord of the Rings universe and two shopkeepers who hated each other were forced to work together ...and fell in love in the process! It's absolutely perfect and I wouldn't change a single dot!
If you like m/m romance, enemies to lovers, magic, found family, cozy fantasy (that is not boring/slow paced at all!!) with LGBT+ characters (gay, bi, nb and ace representation!!), this one is for you!
I liked this one more than the first one. A solid thriller and I'm curious to see how it goes in the next books.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to booksirens and the author for the opportunity.
Rating: 3.25 stars
This one took me a bit to get into. It was unexpected because I liked the premise and the incorporation of old mythology with the faerie lore. You can tell there was a lot of research and work put into it, if only from the use of Egyptian and Greek terms (I was very intrigued by the layers of the soul and how they relate to each other and how they affect relationships). The plot was interesting as well with the son of Hades being “shipped off” to marry the daughter of the Night Court Fae King, plus all the tribulations that came from her all consuming destructive power.
All that said... I could just not connect to the characters. I wasn't sold on their love story if only for how quick Ahmed adored Euthalia while barely even knowing her and having never seen her face. In addition, their personalities came across a bit juvenile, not what one would expect from beings who are supposed to be adults (and I'm assuming also some centuries old, albeit in the youth of their immortality). I was also a bit put off by the constant self-deprecating - I get it, his dad wasn't the nurturing type and the whole thing with his mom traumatised him further, but having to read someone put themselves down all the time just made me want give up on the book several times tbh.
Still, I imagine that my view on characters and their dynamics is just something very personal. I still enjoyed the story and don't regret giving it a go - plus I'm curious about that last scene and how things will progress from there. I'm hoping the character development at the end makes it easier to connect with Ahmed and Euthalia on the next installment, so I will probably give the next book a try :)