Category: Review (Page 135 of 296)

BOOK REVIEW: The Lost Sisters (The Folk of the Air #1.5) by Holly Black

February 27, 2019 / Chelsea / 1 Comment

The Lost Sisters (The Folk of the Air #1.5)
by Holly Black
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Sometimes the difference between a love story and a horror story is where the ending comes . . .

While Jude fought for power in the Court of Elfhame against the cruel Prince Cardan, her sister Taryn began to fall in love with the trickster, Locke.

Half-apology and half-explanation, it turns out that Taryn has some secrets of her own to reveal.

The Lost Sisters is a companion e-novella to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince by master writer Holly Black.

Let’s start with a love story.
Or maybe it’s another horror story. It seems like the difference is mostly in where the ending comes.

LOOK. We all know this girl is OBSESSED with her boy Cardan, her homegirl Jude, and this wonderful world of twists and turns, lies and betrayals. Is it really so shocking to know I loved this story, too? Even if it was about that-that-Ugh, That GIRL Tarryn? I did like Tarryn-frankly, I still do. Especially since I get what it’s like to be enraptured by a guy and all the stories he’s woven around you. I get that part-even sympathize.

Be bold, be bold, but not too bold.

HOWEVER. HOWEVERRRRR. I hate Locke-and I HATE something about WK to do with Tarryn. I know. I KNOW. That’s not fair to this story! But, alas, life is not fair and I didn’t get this review done before finishing WK, so SUE ME OKAY. I HAVE FEELINGS, OKAY.

Fairy tales have a moral: Stay on the path. Don’t trust wolves. Don’t steal things, not even things you think no normal person would care about. Share your food but don’t trust people who want to share their food with you; don’t eat their shiny red apples, nor their candy houses, nor any of it. Be nice, always nice, and polite to everyone: kings and beggars, witches and wounded bears. Don’t break a promise.

SO, I was debating giving this a 5 because…well, why not? I really enjoyed it. It kept me satiated while I waited to get back to the main show, Cardan and Jude. But what I WILL NOT and CANNOT forgive is what is in book three, and I have to say that this book only slightly helped her plight…in that sense. Before WK, I was kind of extremely sympathetic. Now I’m like…burn in Hell with Locke, B****.

Be good, but not too good. Be pretty, but not too pretty. Be honest, but not too honest. Maybe no one got lucky. Maybe it was too hard.

So. Yup. My feels are, once again, scattered across the wind and spread across faerie where my heart truly lies. Cardan <3

************

Annnndddd who’s finally ready to DEVOUR Wicked King tomorrow??

Guiltyyyy.

I’ll probably write a small review on this one…probably ha I don’t much care to read anything more on Locke, so eh

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BOOK REVIEW: Beautifully Damaged (Beautifully Damaged #1) by L.A. Fiore

February 25, 2019 / Jen / 4 Comments

Beautifully Damaged (Beautifully Damaged #1)
by L.A. Fiore
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Ember Walsh is a trusting soul with the quiet beauty of her late mother, who perished in a mysterious car crash when Ember was three. A little tomboyish from being raised by her father, Ember packs a punch when a stranger gets pushy with her in a bar, catching the steely blue eyes of a tall, gorgeous tattooed man—Trace Montgomery. Still damaged from her last disastrous relationship and warned off the bad boy by friends, Ember fights the smoldering heat that Trace sparks in her when he begins shadowing her like a dark angel.

Burdened by a lifetime of horror and heartbreak, amateur fighter Trace doesn’t want to want Ember. His deep self-loathing keeps him from having any meaningful relationships, but Ember is an itch he can’t scratch. The two push and pull, slowly crumbling their walls, seemingly brought together by fate, because the turmoil that haunts their pasts is interlinked in undeniable ways. But can these two fighters finally lay down their arms?

Review:

Beautifully Damaged pulled me in and then crashed and burned. I haven’t had a 1 star rating in almost 3 years, but there was no denying how I felt about this book. Even though this story held so much potential, the characters wore on me and I kept picking holes at the story. When I found myself skimming the last quarter of the book, I knew I was done. So my top three issues were…

✩A doormat heroine

He really was fucked up, but I loved him. I loved him enough to stay.

From the very first chapter, we watched as Ember let her roommate walk all over her. Her roommate said rude things to her, took her stuff and even ditched her. All while Ember let her. And when she allowed Trace to do the same thing, I was done with her. I was so angry that she allowed herself to be a victim, again. It was frustrating that she never said anything when her boyfriend would be gone for all hours of the night or when she would catch him flirting with other girls. And there’s a scene where it looks like he’s having sex with another girl, ugh. Just no. Her lack of actions made me completely lose any and all respect I had for her. Yes she punched a guy in the beginning of the story and another person way down the road but it wasn’t enough. Not near enough because of all of the other moments I painfully had to sit there and watch her do nothing.

✩A jerk of a hero

“You actually believe I could feel any other way about you? You are my forever.”
“You’re not mine.”

If you follow my reviews, you know I always love the guys that start off as a douche bag and then turn into so much more . But with Trace Montgomery, I finally found a jerk I didn’t like. I tried my hardest to fall for him since he was thoughtful, caring and protective. But in the end, I just hated him. My first clue that I should have given up on him was when he was staring at Ember, while getting another girl off. My second clue should have been when he purposely flirted with other girls when Ember was around. My third clue should have been when he didn’t care that he was tearing Ember apart when he threatened to bring another girl back to where they both lived. Ohhhh and he proceeded to warn Ember that the girl he was bringing back was a screamer. What a great guy *rolls eyes*. And while there was a ton more clues, the final nail in the coffin was when he made it look like he was fucking another girl while Ember walked in on it. Just NO. Trace pushed too hard. He pushed too far. I didn’t care that his past made him the way he was. He was cold and callous in my eyes.

✩WTFs

I discovered that a body could still function when the heart was reduced to nothing but ash.

I’m not even going to touch on the fact that we’re told Ember is shy yet she has no problem singing in public or punching a guy in the face, or the cooking thing, or her tattoo she got before she even slept with Trace, or his stalking, because all of that was absolutely ridiculous. But the huge revelation at the end? I’m sure that was supposed to make us happy, but all it did was make me livid. The legal implications, the emotional scarring, the abandonment? Not to mention the complications in the future, I just, wow. Are you kidding me? It was messed up on so many levels and it left the worst taste in my mouth.

Beautifully Damaged was definitely not for me and I wont be picking up another book by this author.

BOOK REVIEW: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

February 24, 2019 / Arielle / 4 Comments

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Olive is always unlucky: in her career, in love, in…well, everything. Her identical twin sister Amy, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. Her meet-cute with her fiancé is something out of a romantic comedy (gag) and she’s managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a series of Internet contests (double gag). Worst of all, she’s forcing Olive to spend the day with her sworn enemy, Ethan, who just happens to be the best man.

Olive braces herself to get through 24 hours of wedding hell before she can return to her comfortable, unlucky life. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning from eating bad shellfish, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. And now there’s an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs.

Putting their mutual hatred aside for the sake of a free vacation, Olive and Ethan head for paradise, determined to avoid each other at all costs. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him is suddenly at risk to become a whole lot bigger. She and Ethan now have to pretend to be loving newlyweds, and her luck seems worse than ever. But the weird thing is that she doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, she feels kind of... lucky.

Review:

It PHYSICALLY pains me to say that this is not in the running for one of my favorite Christina Lauren books. You better believe that I had been stalking NetGalley for the last few weeks, hoping to see this cover pop up. I was SO excited to find out that I was approved on the first day in YEARS that I had a snow day, too. I loved Olive and Ethan and when I first read the synopsis about this being a hate-to-love featuring a pretend marriage…mmmm…I figured this would be a recipe for perfection.

That wasn’t exactly the case. Overall this book was still good and I still laughed out loud many, many times. I mean during a good chunk I was actually rocking my daughter, trying to get her down for a nap, and it was getting physically hard to hold in my laughter and not wake her up haha. I loved reading about their time in Hawaii together. The banter and their chemistry was great as always. The only part about this book that caused me to pause and knock off a star..maybe a star and a half, was purely a personal preference thing. It was a situation towards the end involving “the conflict” between Olive and Ethan..and even Olive’s sister..that really rubbed me the wrong way. View Spoiler »This similar type of situation bothers me in every romance though, so there’s a good chance that it won’t affect a lot of people’s views on the book overall. Like I said, still a hilarious, sexy, finish-in-a-day because of the addictive writing kind of book…it just wasn’t meant for me like most of their other ones!

Also, random side note–I am obsessed with this cover. Even though it wasn’t one of my top favorites I think I still need to buy it to brighten up my bookshelves at home, lol.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this eARC that was given in exchange for an honest review! ♥

BOOK REVIEW: The Winter of the Witch (Winternight Trilogy #3) by Katherine Arden

February 22, 2019 / Chelsea / 2 Comments

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Following their adventures in The Bear and the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower, Vasya and Morozko return in this stunning conclusion to the bestselling Winternight Trilogy, battling enemies mortal and magical to save both Russias, the seen and the unseen.

Now Moscow has been struck by disaster. Its people are searching for answers—and for someone to blame. Vasya finds herself alone, beset on all sides. The Grand Prince is in a rage, choosing allies that will lead him on a path to war and ruin. A wicked demon returns, stronger than ever and determined to spread chaos. Caught at the center of the conflict is Vasya, who finds the fate of two worlds resting on her shoulders. Her destiny uncertain, Vasya will uncover surprising truths about herself and her history as she desperately tries to save Russia, Morozko, and the magical world she treasures. But she may not be able to save them all.

**ARC Provided via netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Many say, better to die, until the time comes to actually do it, Morozko had told her once. He was right.

So, this series was a true love-hate thing for me. Yet, as a month and a half has passed since I finished it and have had sour thoughts about since, I can’t help, as I start writing this review, to have fond feelings for this story-so I guess that tells more than any nasty feelings that lingered. I hated the first, but loved the setting, the vivid storytelling (when it wasn’t talking about something totally triggerish for me), and, of course, Morozko. So I read the second-And I just plain adored it. Many times it’s not enough for the guy to be the only appealing thing to me, but, for this one, I really just had to know more about the mysterious Winter King and his oddly protective personality-even though, over the course of the series, he said time and again that he couldn’t always be around to protect Vasya, that it was taking him away from his duties, and that he wouldn’t ever do it again so be warned. Yet, every single time she was in danger…a certain freezing cold and rain or snow would assist our daring Vasya, and we just knew who couldn’t help himself from not letting her die. How romantically thrilling.

“I do not like him.”
“I fear,” said Sergei, “that he does not care in the slightest.”

And I finished this book around Christmas, or right before, what-have-you…and couldn’t find the words to write the review. After everything, this is what we were left with? Yeah, it was good. But, gone was what made me fall in love with this series, which was how Vasya was so strong, and how Morozko picked up the pieces and was relentless when she couldn’t be. I loved that. No matter how trigger-happy, nor how angry I got, I always loved that about this series, which is why I finished in the first place. Morozko had sacrificed so much over the course of this series, therefore he was at his weakest in this book-so we didn’t get to see many of theses moments (Though, he still continued to sacrifice all he had, in the only ways he could). It hurt me deeply, even though I know the goal was to show Vasya’s growth and what she can do to save her city on her own. But, with all the bullcrap surrounding these epic moments, the lack of Morozko was hard to swallow.

“…that is the only way you can play for everything, when you do not fear to lose.”

For all the triggers in all the lands of these books, one thing has stood out above all that that I just….just…could not stand, and that’s that bastard priest that was a thorn in my side from book one on. Can he just not, like, DISAPPEAR?! Go. Away.

YOU CAN’T SIT WITH US. He ruined so much and caused so much pain, heartache, and desperation that I could barely stand the series because of it. But, alas, he’s gone nowhere, and here we are.

Raising her head, she snapped at him, “Did you bring me here to watch me bleed to death? You are going to be disappointed. I am getting used to spiting people by surviving.”

TRIGGERS: Death, animal death (TRAUMATIC), child deaths, scary moments for weaklings such as I, and, like, so much more? What am I forgetting? Abuse at the hands of a misinformed and angry mob? And, for book two, which is what really hurt me most out of this whole series…a baby death. I have never been okay with this moment and, had it been erased from this series and book two, I think I could stomach it more.

“I knew you couldn’t do without me!” cried Ded Grib, triumphantly. “Even if now you have allies that are bigger.” He gave the Bear a very hard look.
“This is going to be a terrible war,” the Bear interjected. “What damage do you expect to do with a mushroom?”

I am a very sensitive soul, so when a mother is weeping for her child (book one) or an animal is slaughtered (1, 2, and 3) or burnt to death (2) or a baby dies traumatically and because of a selfish heroine (2) I cannot. I cannot I cannot and I will not. Yet, again, here we are. I feel fondly of this series…even after all this. All the tears. All the heartache. It all hurts. But I still, in a weird way…imagine skimming all that to get to the bright and amazing and shining parts. So I guess, again, that speaks louder than my angry reviews.

Which leads me here-Do I want these absolutely STUNNING books on my shelf? Yes. Will I get them? I don’t know. Is it worth it? There is so much heartache and sadness. Despair. But then-Morozko. Romantic peril. My baby Solovey. And those gorgeous covers. Here we are. Again. And again. And again.

None of the tales spoke of both wanting and resentment, of grand gestures and terrible mistakes.

Most enjoyable, to me, in order:

The Girl in the Tower (Favorite, might even just buy this one)
The Winter of the Witch
The Bear and the Nightingale

******************

ARC from Netgalley!!!

If I’m being frank, this series was one of the most confusing I’ve ever read-My emotions were all over the place. One minute I would hate the books, then next I would love them. I was sad. I was angry. I was annoyed. My heart would beat fast for Morozko. My heart would leap when Solovey was around. Back to angry again. It was a mess. I was a glass case of emotion. And, if I’m being honest, here is the order of enjoyment of these books:

A Girl in the Tower
The Winter Witch
The Bear and the Nightingale

And I’m not sorry about it.

RTC.

********************

I figured, why not walk straight into the fire? My soul is already broken anyway

Also, BR with the lovely Candace who has kept me sane through all this!

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REVIEW + GIVEAWAY: To Dream Is To Die (Dead Dreamer #1) by Sarah Lampkin

February 21, 2019 / Jen / 4 Comments

I was so happy to join this tour because I adore Paranormal stories! So check out my review below and enter a fabulous giveaway. Enjoy!

REVIEW + GIVEAWAY: To Dream Is To Die (Dead Dreamer #1) by Sarah Lampkin

To Dream Is To Die (Dead Dreamer #1)
by Sarah Lampkin
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Eighteen-year-old Brenna Whit is entering college as a freshman and starting to meet new people, but she hides a dark secret. Because of an accident that happened three years ago, her spirit wanders the Fade whenever she falls asleep. It's something she wants to keep hidden from the world, but when she sees someone watching her in spirit form, she fears the secret's out. With new friends, possibly new enemies, school, and a new crush, Brenna has too much to worry about for just her freshman year of college.

Review:

To Dream Is To Die was a story that kept me turning the pages. It all unfolded so effortlessly and each time we were given a piece of the puzzle, there was still so much I couldn’t wait to learn more about. There was a few different mysteries along with some twists and turns that kept me guessing. So if you adore paranormal stories, set in college, then definitely check this one out.

Brenna Whit was a dark, snarky college student who ended up dying three years ago. She came back from the dead and her life had been different ever since. Now, when she was supposed to be dreaming, she wandered the fade instead. Brenna moved into the college dorms for the first time and I loved watching her friendship unfold with Aeria. They were kindred souls and friendship definitely played a central theme in this story. And while each character was unique, I wasn’t able to connect with any of them. I tried my hardest, because the story line was a ton of fun, but sadly I couldn’t ever make that connection. Regardless, I still enjoyed reading about Brenna and her journey.

As the story unfolded, we learned more and more about the world that Brenna wandered while her body slept. I was beyond fascinated, especially since some of it seeped into the times when Brenna was awake. It was entertaining watching how it even affected those around her. So when I reached that final page, I was so happy that some of my questions were answered. Yes there is still so much for us to learn, but we stopped at the perfect waiting spot until the next book in this series releases.

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About Sarah Lampkin:

Sarah Lampkin is a New Adult/Young Adult fiction author from Southern Virginia. She currently resides in Northern Virginia with her cat, Fox (who is practically a dog). When she’s not writing, she’s playing video games, rock climbing, or getting ready for hunting season. Sarah began writing over a decade ago with her first novella called Angels: Moon and Sun, which is now being rewritten as Tainted Wings on Wattpad. She draws inspiration from Celtic mythology in her stories and aims to create unique worlds following strong female protagonist. In 2015, Sarah was able to utilize her Dead Dreamer series in her graduate program and graduate with an MA in English.

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