A Game of Retribution was much better than A Game of Fate, I'm saying it now.
The thing that bugged me with the first Hades book, is that it felt like A Game of Retribution was much better than A Game of Fate, I'm saying it now.
The thing that bugged me with the first Hades book, is that it felt like the exact same book as A Touch of Darkness just from a different PoV...which is exactly what it was.
This was fixed in the second novel, and we got to see a lot more of Hades on his own (or behind the scenes if you will). That was honestly a blast, and makes this book better than A Touch of Ruin too.
Likewise, in Persephone's PoV she was a lot more annoying than seeing her in Hades's PoV now. I almost didn't feel like she regressed in her confidence/powers, but it was still evident, just to a lesser degree.
This book also jumps around a lot less than the first, so there is some continuity (but if you're new to the series I'd still say read Persephone's PoV before this since it could potentially get confusing).
I got the impression that the steam was more prominent here, and it didn't bother me, there was an added scene that was really cool.
While I'm at added scenes, I love that we saw what Zofie did. I figured she'd tell Persephone at some later date when she was ready, but it's also nice that we finally know.
And the thing I was hoping for, but didn't get is Minthe. No reaction to her plant-ification whatsoever. Perhaps it'll be in another book? I badly want to see it.
My hopes for book three of this series are that there will be minimal overlapping scenes. I only want to read about Hades's shenanigans, please and thank you.
And yeah, that cliffhanger ending was cruel, as expected.
*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*...more
Was this longer than the other books? Yes. Did I finish it around the same time as the others because I skimmed all the sex scenes? Also yes.
And when Was this longer than the other books? Yes. Did I finish it around the same time as the others because I skimmed all the sex scenes? Also yes.
And when I say skimmed, I mean I skipped them, full pages, only checking for important dialogue (not that there was any).
The whole book is supposed to be a build up to a war but nothing happens. And the things that do happen don't take up as much time as the steam does.
The start of the war is left for the end of the book, which is not fair, considering how the last book ended. This was a filler book, through and through. But at least I'm now done with the series until next year.
I was even considering reading this book later, and not to close to the others, but that would be yet another unfinished series at the back of my mind, so it's good I did it now.
Hopefully the final book will provide a truly epic war, and not more fillers....more
I'm not sure why I can leave a separate review for a different edition? Anyway, I just finished the audiobook and YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO IT TOO. It's amI'm not sure why I can leave a separate review for a different edition? Anyway, I just finished the audiobook and YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO IT TOO. It's amazing. I'm in love, as usual. I'm glad I decided to stretch it over 10+ days, really helped me remember so much stuff.
And it was actually good, the narration. In a few places the transition between the voices wasn't the beThe audiobook was free so I thought, why not?
And it was actually good, the narration. In a few places the transition between the voices wasn't the best and if I wasn't entirely focused, I couldn't tell which of the Guardians was speaking aside from Ark.
The first chapter was extremely good and had me hooked. Then it started to decline a bit.
I wasn't very attached to the plot, maybe a little at the beginning, but afterwards their journey just dragged on and I felt like they made a lot of unnecessary stops along the way.
I didn't feel any chemistry between Winter and the Guardians, I don't even have a favourite. All four of them were too similar to each other.
The one thing I'm the maddest about is the lack of steam. I would be willing to forgive the no chemistry thing if only we got some good action...but instead there's only one scene and the rest is crumbs.
Aside from that, Winter comes into her powers too quickly. Okay though, she's a demi-goddess, I'll let it slide. This time.
And that demon fight was so disappointing, I couldn't wait for it to be over...
It's the things that happened throughout the book that made me lose the will to continue the series. When I started I was sure I'd want more from the world, but now...it really makes me sad.
I'm not saying I'll never pick it up again, I might, but for now I've had enough.
P.S. I will say that there's something addictive about it that made me want to listen more and push through....more
Ellen Mint is a master of her craft. This was apparent even while I was reading the prequel last year, and now I'm certain of it.
Occasionally, I say Ellen Mint is a master of her craft. This was apparent even while I was reading the prequel last year, and now I'm certain of it.
Occasionally, I say how I didn't want a book to end, when what I really mean is "I didn't feel like reading it all in one or two sessions, but maybe three or four". In this case, I truly, honestly, didn't want the story to end. I wanted it to go on forever and ever. It was such a joy to read.
I think reading the prequel gave me a bit of an advantage over newer readers because I already had an attachment formed to the characters and couldn't wait to see them again. But still, I don't think it's difficult to fall in love with them. Especially Ink.
I almost feel as if Ink is even better in this book than the previous one. More time has passed so perhaps he's forming his own attachment? Hint hint. He's still the best.
Layla is growing more into her witchy powers and has come a long way, I'm so proud of her.
As for Cal...WHY WHEN INK EXISTS? INK IS RIGHT THERE. ALL THE TIME. NAKED. I don't mind him exactly, he'd be cool on his own, but yeah.
The plot was surprising and engaging. So much happened, I AM AMAZED. The writing was phenomenal too.
BUT BUT BUT. LISTEN. WHY IS IT SO SHORT AGAIN?! I mean 300 pages isn't *that* short, but for this kind of story I NEED MORE!!!
I'll be eagerly awaiting the next book.
*Thank you to BookSirens for providing me with an e-ARC for which I'm leaving a review voluntarily* ...more
Yes, hello, operator? I need an ambulance. What for? My heart full of feels.
THESE BOOKS ARE CRIMINALLY GOOD. IT'S NOT FAIR. It's like each one gets bYes, hello, operator? I need an ambulance. What for? My heart full of feels.
THESE BOOKS ARE CRIMINALLY GOOD. IT'S NOT FAIR. It's like each one gets better and better. Following the pattern, now we have awesome x3.
Alexis is amazing. Her growth throughout the series is noticeable, especially in this book. She would go to hell and back for her friends and it makes me cry.
She kind of does go to hell in a way. It's very brave. It's okay to be a hero Alexis, you earned it.
Ace is a perfect muffin. He goes through a lot, barely anything pleasant, but comes out on top.
NOW CAN WE TALK ABOUT THAT BLUEBERRY SCENE??? DO YOU SEE WHY I SHIP IT SO HARD??? MY POOR, POOR HEART. I just. I. Send help.
What I can't believe is that I shipped Rachel with Zane...poor judgement on my part. That little weasel can spend eternity in a very specific pig pen.
And Rachel *cries*. THEY REALLY DO GROW UP FAST, I'M NOT READYYYYYY. I'm happy for her though.
I wish there was more of Drax. He just showed us that he can be badass too and then we don't see him for a while. I want to see him eat some people.
Veerka's scene near the end got me, I started hating her. I apologise Veerka.
Yet again, I'm sad this was short. The plot was action-packed and fast paced so my time passed by even quicker.
The war was done well, enough, but not too much of it to overpower everything else that's going on. MORE OF THIS! But with a dragon.
I wasn't expecting the ending. It makes sense now. I like it. But you know, the scene at the very end? An expanded version please, and thank you.
ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, THIS ISN'T THE END!!! I hope. I think. Fingers crossed for more books.
*Thank you to Eliza Hendrix for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*...more
You know how sequels sometimes tend to suffer from "second book syndrome", where they're bad and/or feel like a filler? Well this book just blew that You know how sequels sometimes tend to suffer from "second book syndrome", where they're bad and/or feel like a filler? Well this book just blew that stereotype into oblivion. It's even better than book one. And book one was awesome. So what does that make this? Awesome x2? Yes.
The story continues where we left off, more or less, and immediately the action starts. Poor Veerka and Alexis can't catch a break. A couple of chapters later, the main "quest" is revealed. For a second there I thought it would be one of those "go there, fetch that" things and I'm glad I was wrong.
The scale of their mission gradually increases and so does their little disfunctional found family.
TO MY GREAT JOY, THE INCUBUS IS BACK. And now I'm having problems picking a favourite. But maybe Alexis won't have to pick??? THOUGHTS HAVE BEEN THUNK. HINT HINT.
He's not just back, he has a role to play, one I wasn't expecting at all. I love all of his scenes. I think him waiting to show up wasn't the best choice on his part, but oh well, he's here now, that's all that matters.
Rachel got so good at magic, I'm SHOOK. She really has mad skills. I'm proud of my little witchling. They grow up so fast *wipes tear*. And Zane? I ship it.
This isn't a long book, but a lot happens. And yet it doesn't feel crammed in. Of course I wish it was longer though.
AND WHEN I TELL YOU I CRIED. OH I CRIED.
ANYWAY, I'm really excited to see how it's all going to end in book three. We had a good build up here so the conclusion is going to be epic, I can feel it.
*Thank you to Eliza Hendrix for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*...more
I didn't really like this. But was it worth reading just to meet Alessan? YES.
For this review I feel like making a pros and cons list, so here we go.I didn't really like this. But was it worth reading just to meet Alessan? YES.
For this review I feel like making a pros and cons list, so here we go.
PROS
● ALESSAN!!! From the very first moment he was introduced he won my heart. Similar with Valentin.
● The world building was done well, considering it's a standalone.
● The plot is something I can relate to on a strange, but specific level. I could feel their pain for their lost land as if it was my own.
● The writing style was beautiful at times.
● THE POETRY!!!
● Most of the ending. It's not terribly sad.
● THE LGBT REP! There's so much of it. It seems like it's normal in the world. Normal as in people are very aware of it and many characters don't have issues with it.
● Book club read so I didn't have to do this alone. And great topics to discuss.
CONS
● The length. It was way too long and could've been at least 200 pages shorter.
● There's a lot of repetitiveness in the longest character POVs. And some of them *cough* Dianora's *cough* were straight up annoying and I felt like skipping through them. I think it would've been better to just stick to the main four characters and mention the others as needed. I really don't need to know everyone's backstory.
● Since I mentioned Dianora, she reminds me of Shazi from The Wrath and the Dawn (view spoiler)[goes with the intention to kill a tyrant, ends up falling for him. I wish for once the woman would actually kill the guy (hide spoiler)].
● Too many characters. It's something I expected, but agh. Basically with this book you have to pay attention to EVERYONE because there's a 99% chance they'll be important later and if you didn't then you're a little confused.
● The fact that in a sea of characters I only cared about Alessan (and Valentin), the rest were meh.
● Devin. Or, more specifically, how just about every woman falls at his feet. I don't see it.
● This next thing ties into Devin. Mini spoilers. (view spoiler)[The closet scene. WHAT WAS THAT??? THAT'S NOT HOW YOU STOP SOMEONE FROM OVERHEARING??? Unneeded. (hide spoiler)] It also made me hate Catriana and I never started liking her after that.
● In general all the romance was wacky. But I did find it funny how (view spoiler)[Devin was with an older woman and then Catriana ends up with a slightly older man (hide spoiler)]. And then there's that whole (view spoiler)[brother-sister thing (hide spoiler)] WHY???
● The other part of the ending. The one where (view spoiler)[the brother and sister never learn the other is alive and right there. And the part where no one learns it was really Valentin. That makes me LIVID (hide spoiler)].
I wasn't expecting to love this, so I'm not disappointed. I don't know if I could see myself rereading this for the clues...maybe, maybe not....more
“The day you are not a fire,” he said, “is the day the earth will fall still for me.”
I WANT TO CRY BECAUSE I FINISHED THIS. WHY CAN'T IT GO ON FOREVER“The day you are not a fire,” he said, “is the day the earth will fall still for me.”
I WANT TO CRY BECAUSE I FINISHED THIS. WHY CAN'T IT GO ON FOREVER? WHY?
I would like to thank a very specific book club for bringing this book to my attention because I'm not sure how soon I would've discovered it on my own.
The blurb is intriguing enough, but what's inside is the real gem. I can't even describe how amazing the book is.
I definitely have my favourites among the characters and ones I hate *cough* Callum *cough* but they're all so beautifully written that it's hard to part with them.
I didn't even notice there was no specific plot until I read a few reviews. WHO CARES? Certainly not me.
It's a bit of a thriller, but not exactly. There's just certain parts that make you want to scream. AND! SO! MANY! PLOT! TWISTS!
Also, THIS is how you do a multi POV. Everyone's interesting and cool and you get a proper peek inside their head.
Now, let me share some Libby quotes. These aren't why she's my favourite (that was established the second I met her), but they're sure helping her stay on top of my list:
“Men, conceptually, are canceled.”
AND:
“Theoretically, men are a disaster. As a concept, I unequivocally reject them.”
HOW COULD YOU NOT LOVE HER? She's also hella badass and I love her abilities the most. And while paired with Tristan *silent scream*.
I know shipping her with Nico is popular and I see it, but TRISTAN!!! Actually all three of them together would be IT! IMAGINE THE POWER!
Okay, I'm going to try to process this and that HORRIBLE, TERRIBLE, CLIFFHANGER ending. Meanwhile, YOU SHOULD READ THE ALTAS SIX! THIS IS NOT A REQUEST! THIS IS A MUST!!! Fingers crossed the sequel comes out soon....more
I would like to sue K.S. Villoso for emotional pain and brilliant writing. Effective immediately.
The Wolf of Oren-Yaro is April's book of the month fI would like to sue K.S. Villoso for emotional pain and brilliant writing. Effective immediately.
The Wolf of Oren-Yaro is April's book of the month for my book club. I was originally planning on reading it later in the month for the readalong but I decided to start early because I was curious about the audiobook. AND WHAT AN AUDIO IT IS!!!
The narration is AMAZING. The narrator pronounces everything clearly and I think I'd give both of my arms and legs to listen to more books narrated by her. Zero confusion my friends, ZERO.
Up until chapter 9 I wasn't sure what to make of it, it was interesting but I was scared the road trip would take too long, the pacing took me a hot minute to get used to...and then chapter 9 hit and I was hooked.
What I really love about this story is that whenever you think you know something, you really don't. There's always something hiding in the shadows waiting to jump out at you. SO MANY PLOT TWISTS, MY POOR BRAIN AND HEART.
I love everything about this though. The writing style isn't too descriptive (except with the food, made me so hungry), the world building is excellent, the plot is good and the characters are even better.
It's more character than plot driven and I love them all. Except Yuebek. All my homies hate Yuebek. He can burn in the fires of hell. Haha, fires.
Talyien is a bitch queen, true to her title. But she's not annoying. I really like her perspective, even though she's pining over her annoying husband Rayyel for most of the book.
Rayyel I decided I hated since before I started reading and my opinion did not change. He deserves the hate.
And then we have Khine who's such a delightful conning little cinnamon roll. HE'S ALWAYS THERE FOR TALYIEN, ALWAYS (yes, this is a jab at Rayyel). And he's so kind and gentle and wants to help everyone and I love him.
Agos came into the picture a bit later. Not history-with-Talyien wise but plot wise and hOW DO YOU EXPECT ME NOT TO SHIP TALYIEN WITH HIM TOO K.S.??? HOW??? THIS IS SO CRUEL!(view spoiler)[AND THAT KISS (hide spoiler)] I love how protective he is, he's a good match too.
Another character I really like is Talyien's father. We don't see much of him but I can see why people stood beside him.
Also there's dragons. We stan dragons. I hope they play a bigger part in the next books. And magic too, I loooooove the magic system.
At the ending of the ebook (which I needed too, for the name spellings), there's an interview and not only did I find out the author has been working on this world for 16 years or so, but there's also more books set in it (that came before this trilogy)??? YES HELLO I WILL PROMPTLY BE READING EVERYTHING.
BUT FIRST, I need to complete this trilogy so it doesn't get mixed up. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait a little until this month's discussion before jumping into book two.
Meanwhile, I'm going to make my wallet cry by getting these beautiful books in physical form.
And so I finished this in 6 days...meant to stretch it out longer whoops. BUT IT'S JUST SO GOOD! AND I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT THE AVERAGE RATING DOESN'T DO IT JUSTICE! THIS DESERVES 10 BILLION STARS!
DROP WHATEVER YOU'RE READING AND READ THIS INSTEAD!!!...more
Levia Sunfall runs a shelter for abused women with her best friend Blythe Telvis. It's during such "business" that she runs into Coalt Firesworn for tLevia Sunfall runs a shelter for abused women with her best friend Blythe Telvis. It's during such "business" that she runs into Coalt Firesworn for the first time.
Although they don't exchange a word, there seems to be a special attraction building between them.
As fate would have it, both of them get sent on the same quest and are forced to work together all while fighting what they feel for each other. Will they beat the odds and get what they want? Or will something stand in the way of their happiness?
I love this.
It might seem like a romance book at first glance, and okay, there's definitely a lot of that, BUT...the plot is really cool too.
DON'T LET THE FACT THAT THE LOVE INTEREST IS A DRAGON SHIFTER PUT YOU OFF, IT WORKS, TRUST ME.
I think there's a nice balance, so readers who like a bit more romance will like this, and so will those who like interesting plots.
Levia running the shelter was a different take. I don't think I've ever seen that? And her own experience with men...hard topics there. She opens up more about it as the story goes on and I really feel for her.
COALT. AHEM. I can't even form coherent thoughts. Just know that they're really cute together. I ship it. AND THE STEAM!!!
Now now now now now, THAT ENDING WHAT? YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME HANGING LIKE THAT NAH. THAT'S SO MEAN.
I was expecting something like that, because of the locket, but come onnnn, why torture us? :((
So I would say read this now if you don't mind cliffhangers - but read it now anyway so I have someone to suffer with until the next book.
Honourable mention: the funny lines, much much much appreciated.
*Thank you to the lovely author for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*...more
I've been wanting to clean up my "currently reading" shelf for a while now and I decided to start with this book. I finally finished it after 3 monthsI've been wanting to clean up my "currently reading" shelf for a while now and I decided to start with this book. I finally finished it after 3 months yay!!! Any longer and I probably would've forgotten a lot.
I dropped it for some unknown reason and other things kept coming up so it stretched for far too long.
Even though it's a 700+ page book I don't have that much to say and I also feel like I shouldn't in light of recent events surrounding SJM so I'll keep it brief-ish.
The book didn't feel long, but it felt repetitive, a lot worse than previous books where I barely even noticed it. It bothered me because I read a huge chunk of it in one day and the same words would repeat every few chapters.
I didn't go into this book expecting to love Nesta, no matter how many people said they did after reading, so I'm not disappointed that it didn't happen. She's still my least favourite sister, despite her growth.
The mental health was written well, but I don't like mental health books, so either way it didn't help much. At least it's not terrible.
The romance was frustrating at times. Okay, a lot of the time. But I liked it (and the sex scenes weren't too bad either).
I wasn't as bored as I was during ACOFAS, but I still felt like both books deserved two stars for completely different reasons. The only thing that saved this one is the last 20 chapters. So assume ACOSF is somewhere between 2.5 and 3 stars, but I rounded up. ...more
*This is a review for only one story, My Soul To Take by Meg Anne*
I'm a mess. Mess. Mess. Mess. Was I expecting all the beautiful sadness? Hell no. Bu*This is a review for only one story, My Soul To Take by Meg Anne*
I'm a mess. Mess. Mess. Mess. Was I expecting all the beautiful sadness? Hell no. But I'm glad that's what we got.
The story follows a fallen angel who fell because she was in love with a mortal. Fate has a funny way of bringing long lost lovers back together in unexpected ways and that's what happens here. I don't want to spoil any further.
At first I thought this was going to turn into a philosophical book (blame it on The Midnight Library) and I was really not up for that (especially because of the mentioned book), but it didn't.
It has some inspirational quotes that made me cry so hard I couldn't even see what I was reading anymore and it's so soft. Soft like angel feathers. Ha! :D
There's no big bad villain, but one does scheme in the background. He's annoying.
The book is on the shorter side so there wasn't much time to expand, but I still think the annoying mini villain could've had a slightly bigger role.
I love all the places described, that's a cool idea. (view spoiler)[And their whole relationship too. I love how he opens up more as time goes on and the more places they visit. (hide spoiler)]
I'm not sure how I feel about the epilogue. (view spoiler)[I wish they could've just started where they left off instead of having to live completely different lives. It reminds me of that final scene in the Travellers tv show. I don't mind it, but I have a preferred outcome. (hide spoiler)]
ALL IN ALL. READ THIS IF YOU WANT ALL THE FEELS. Keep a tissue box ready.
I've always loved Peter Pan, whether in book or cartoon form. Tiger Lily was just there for me, I didn't care about her much so I was expecting this bI've always loved Peter Pan, whether in book or cartoon form. Tiger Lily was just there for me, I didn't care about her much so I was expecting this book would make me like her. That didn't really happen.
The book was very slow and the only part I truly liked was when she finally met Peter which doesn't happen for a while. After she does it's non-stop pain.
I don't mind darker themes in books, but some were unnecessary here.
AND NO MAGIC. WHERE'S THE MAGIC? CERTAINLY NOT HERE.
That made me instantly sad. There's also aging, but I'm willing to let that slide because the pirates weren't native to Neverland so maybe that's why they didn't stop growing older.
I'm done with the book and I still can't tell how I feel about Tinkerbell narrating the whole thing. I can't really see her like that. And she was reading Tiger Lily's emotions so it's almost like our title character was doing her own narration and yet...
I like how Peter's character was done most of all. Wendy wasn't done badly either, she was pretty accurate. Tiger Lily and Tik Tok were okay. I don't like Tik Tok's ending. The author spent the whole book building him up for what? That stupid ending? Nah.
This is the second time we picked an eh book for our monthly read, I'm hoping other bookclub members will like it more though. ...more
I loved Wings of Ebony and Ashes of Gold was one of my most anticipated releases this year for that reason. I was expecting to love it just as much, bI loved Wings of Ebony and Ashes of Gold was one of my most anticipated releases this year for that reason. I was expecting to love it just as much, but sadly that wasn't the case.
The book just dragged on and on, the whole vibe of it was so different from the first one and it didn't quite work for me.
The beginning really set back Rue's character development and it was my least favourite part of the book. After that she spent a lot of time doubting herself which is understandable considering what happened, I just didn't like it.
And the betrayal trope? NO WHY? WHYYYYYYY??? The character that, shall we say, executed that trope did not deserve it at all. It should've been someone else.
The love triangle got an ending too. Somewhat satisfying because she does chose one of them, eventually, BUT SHE CHOSE THE WRONG ONE!!! I will stand by this, I don't care, argue with a wall.
My final rating is 2.5 which hurts me, but it is what it is....more
Second book syndrome? Kingdom of the Cursed has never heard of it. In my opinion, it outdid book one in every single way.
Everything I had "issues" witSecond book syndrome? Kingdom of the Cursed has never heard of it. In my opinion, it outdid book one in every single way.
Everything I had "issues" with in Kingdom of the Wicked came together here and I enjoyed it tremendously. It's so hard to find a single flaw.
In this book we get a world expansion, the continuation of the murder mystery, even more plot twists and a romance to die for.
I will say that I wasn't sold on the romance until this book started. Something was missing. And in between the two books Kerri Manisalco figured out what that was and sprinkled it all over the book. I am now fully on board.
There's so much tension and I love that I could feel it. There's some steam, but not in the way people expected. I don't mind at all. If anything, it's even more of a slow burn that promises book three will be off the charts amazing.
I love the new (and old) side characters too, especially Pride. I may be (more than) a bit biased, since that's my deadly sin, but he was honestly written so well for how little we actually saw of him.
The blurb teases at a potential love triangle, and if that's what's putting you off from reading the sequel, DON'T WORRY. If a love triangle happens, it'll have to be in the final book. In this one there's barely crumbs (and I'm still not convinced anything will come of it).
The plot is fast paced, and yet most of the action (read: plot twists) happens in the last third of the book. It was so intense. Still, it doesn't feel like a filler/setting things up for the next installment book.
I'm both glad and not about this being a trilogy. Glad, because that means I'll only have to wait another year to finish the story, and not because I don't want to let the world go. But, seeing as there's seven princes, there's still a lot left to explore for potential spin off series.
As of right now, this series will live in my head rent free....more
In the mighty words of Paris Hilton, "that's hot." Literally me during this book. I WAS NOT EXPECTING EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED HERE.
Sometimes when boIn the mighty words of Paris Hilton, "that's hot." Literally me during this book. I WAS NOT EXPECTING EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED HERE.
Sometimes when books warn you they're 18+ they don't even feel like it. But this one definitely does.
I read the prequel first and I got a little sad that it didn't immediately continue where that ended. That's okay though, parts of that get explained too.
The plot starts off pretty straight forward but evolves into something unique.
My favourite part is that Alexis swings both ways and that more attention is given to her female enounters (refer to the Paris quote at the top). There's a huge difference how she is with them vs the males.
That's not to say I don't want that odd Incubus to return. HE BETTER. IT'S NOT DONE.
Rachel is another unexpected but delightful addition to the story. I love her. She's similar to Alexis in some ways and I could see them forging a sisterly bond.
I really breezed through this story. I WANT MORE.
*Thank you to Eliza Hendrix for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review* ...more
I've been meaning to read this for a few years now, but more and more books kept coming out and I wanted to wait until I had them physically except thI've been meaning to read this for a few years now, but more and more books kept coming out and I wanted to wait until I had them physically except they're expensive (and there's a lot of them, plus I couldn't find paperbacks from book 3 onwards) but since the end is near, I figured it was about time to start it.
I borrowed the audiobook from my library and was sucked in instantly, it DOES have Twilight vibes, and if there's one thing you need to know about me it's that I'm always looking for more books that feel like Twilight.
I wouldn't say the writing style is poetic or anything like that, but Tracy Wolff knows how to keep the reader engaged, with mini cliffhangers at the end of chapters more often than not.
Despite the length I think I could've finished this in a day easily if I wasn't also reading other things at the same time, it's THAT interesting.
But if you're expecting a magical school focused book, you won't get that here. Because Grace goes to class pretty much just once, and spends the rest of the time getting injured, skipping class because of said injuries, falling in love with Jaxon and making friends with the wrong people.
Now Jaxon...I don't really ship it, but I also don't mind it. I think it happened wayy too fast, because from the first moment they met it was like they connected and couldn't stay away from each other and it was kind of funny.
What's interesting though is that I don't ship Grace with Flint either. Usually if I don't like the main guy I like the other guy, and Flint is fine, but I feel like it was always pretty clear that they'd just end up as friends.
I am hoping that some other potential love interest will get introduced in future books so that I can maybe finally ship Grace with him.
And Grace...she's not my favourite main character. I don't dislike her, but I don't like her either. She's kinda just there, and I kinda hate her music taste. I'M JUST SAYING.
She's not the smartest tool in the shed, hopefully that will get better later.
And not much happened plot wise, so it's really comical that for almost 600 pages we didn't get to see more classes. What's the point of a magical school setting then???
Which brings me to, the headmaster aka Grace's uncle. He was just absent for most of the book. I get that he's a busy man, but most of the time he (apparently) gave the ok for Grace to skip class from a distance, and we only saw him talking to her in a few scenes. Surely, as one of her only remaining family members he could've found some time to sit down and have a chat with her?
Or when the students were fighting for whichever reason (mostly about Grace), he would just...not appear. At all. The kids would just sort out their own issues?? OK then.
The villain plot was also kind of ridiculous, so I'm hoping that will be explained better as we go along. Because right now there doesn't seem to be much sense as to why they did what they did.
The audiobook has one flaw too (yes, just one), because the language used in the book was so modern, the narrator would say it exactly as it was written, even the abbreviations like "af", and since some of those words got repeated a lot, it made me want to scream.
I was just like "please for the love of God just say 'as fuck' instead of 'af' I'm begging". Sadly, she didn't listen and kept saying af. You can't win them all.
But I had a lot of fun with this book and I'm going to read/listen to the whole series because the vibes are just right. The next audiobook should be free in a couple of weeks, which is just about enough time to recover from this before jumping back into the world again. ...more
