Viviana

This will be my last Murakami book in a while. This book was just not for me. I just couldn’t get over the lack of plot and the badly-written females characters. It’s not terrible and there are some good reflections on death, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea

A fascinating insight into a young Coriolanus Snow’s mind.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy this book because well, Snow is horrible and why would I want to get inside his head? But the book captured me since the first chapter.

This is a villain origin story done right. Even though I disagree with Coriolanus’s decisions and way of thinking, you can see why and how he got there. He is the result of the struggles he faced in childhood plus the influence the society around had in him. It feels eerily realistic, it reflects the real world and real people in an almost scary way. The events with Lucy Gray and his role as her mentor in the Hunger Games were only the last straw for him to snap and become who we see in the HG trilogy.

Lucy Gray was also an interesting character and seeing her through Coriolanus’s unreliable POV made her even more compelling.

I went into this book ready to hate on Snow some more, but in came Dr. Gaul and Dean Highbottom. If I disliked this version of Coriolanus (right before he became a monster), I HATED Highbottom and Gaul. Highbottom is a petty adult who had a vendetta against a teenager for something he had no idea about. And don’t get me started on Gaul. That woman is the equivalent of Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and worse. You can see where Snow learned all his tricks from. Gaul is despicable.

I had originally rated the book 4.5 stars because the third part dragged for too long, in my opinion. However, I decided to give it the 5 starts because overall the book is amazing and the attention to detail is remarkable. Suzanne Collins is a genius. Now to patiently wait for Haymitch’s prequel.

If you want to re-live the Eras Tour in picture form, this book is for you. It also has some behind the scenes content like all the costumes she wore during the tour. I enjoyed flipping through the pages and remembering this incredible experience.

One of my favorite spicy romances I’ve read lately!

I haven’t read many (or any) stories about polyamorous relationships but I loved how it was portrayed in this book.

I fell in love almost right away with the trio. Isabel is sweet, understanding and brave. Hunter is a cool guy and devoted husband. Drake is protective, caring and loyal as hell. There is so much chemistry between them that you just can’t help but to root for them and their relationship.

Isabel and Hunter’s realization of their feelings towards Drake feels smooth and believable. Drake may be a fuckboy but he’s so sweet too. In general I just loved their dynamic and interactions. Another detail I enjoyed was Hunter’s bi-panic in the first half of the book. It was hilarious. Seriously, this guy was giving the most lustful descriptions of Drake and finishing up with “…but I’m as straight as they come”. My guy was living in delulu land and it made me laugh so much.

The spice is SPICING in this one. 5/5 rating I would say. Really, I think there’s action in almost every chapter, so beware of that if it’s not your cup of tea. I for one, am not complaining.

My only nitpicks would be that, while the characters are well established, I think they didn’t have that much depth. Outside of what was needed from them in the story they didn’t have other interesting aspects in their personalities and it made them feel a bit two-dimensional. Also, I would’ve liked to dive in deeper in Drake and Hunter’s past and the early stages of their friendship. Same for Hunter and Isabel’s marriage. I don’t know if it’s because this is part of a standalone series and maybe this story was covered in a previous book? It felt at times as if I was reading a sequel to a story that was previously established. Regardless of that, I enjoyed this book so much. It’s my first Sara Cate book but it won’t be my last!

If I could give this book 6 stars, I would. This wasn’t merely a story, it felt like a whole journey. We follow Avi and Kyran when they first meet as teenagers who are forced to spend time with each other because they become stepbrothers; into their college years, when they start to discover more about themselves and their feelings for each other.

These are the kind of characters that stay with me for a long time, I loved them that much. Avi is incredibly kind, loving, supportive, easy-going. Always with a smile and a joke to offer. Kyran starts out as a grumpy bully, but the character development he goes through has been one of my favorites I’ve ever read. I was rooting for him to find himself and become more self-confident.

The rest of the characters are a mix, Hannah-Avi’s mom-is awesome. Tom-Kyran’s dad- is NOT. But the rest of Avi and Kyran’s friends are pretty cool. I loved Guty and his chaotic energy, as well as Frankie.

There is a revelation that takes a looong time to be completely explained and there is one character who I was not expecting to be redeemed, but was very happy when they did.

Now, the spice… the SPICE. It takes a while to get to the spicy parts, but once you get there, it is 1000% worth the wait. The progression in intensity of the scenes, the TENSION between Avi and Kyran, the dirty talk!!! Avi has a filthy mouth, let me tell you, but I was living for it. And once it starts it doesn’t stop, there are spicy scenes in pretty much every chapter in the middle of the book. But what I loved is that none of them feel gratuitous, each scene serves to deepen connection between the characters and to develop them further.

These are some of the best-written sex scenes I’ve ever read in any romance book. No notes.

The book is long and you feel it, but I never felt like it was dragging. On the contrary, I was enjoying the story and the characters so much I didn’t want to finish it. It’s definitely the kind of book that feels bittersweet to finish, because you want to stay with the characters. I was constantly kicking my feet, squealing or screaming at either the story or the hot scenes, I was SO invested. I’ll be re-reading it soon, maybe in audiobook version.