Genre: Fantasy Romance Tropes: Greek Lore, Fae, Boss Romance, Bully, Best Friend Romance Series: Dark Forest Dryad #1 Cliffhanger: Yes, but mild RatinGenre: Fantasy Romance Tropes: Greek Lore, Fae, Boss Romance, Bully, Best Friend Romance Series: Dark Forest Dryad #1 Cliffhanger: Yes, but mild Rating: 2.25⭐ Spice: 0/5 ...more
“What did you expect? A happy ending?” “Yes, I expected a happy fucking ending,” I snarled. “I expected a tale where the beast was defeated, the treasu“What did you expect? A happy ending?” “Yes, I expected a happy fucking ending,” I snarled. “I expected a tale where the beast was defeated, the treasure was claimed, and everyone lived happily ever after.” Caleb broke a merciless laugh. “I suggest you stop believing in nonsense like that, Princess,” he said, his voice low and rough. “That’s not the way Faery tales go. The endings are always brutal and bloody, and no one walks away from them unscathed. Especially not the main characters.”
OK, I've had a bit of time to process all of this and, as much as it pains me, I can't give this book 5 stars. I wanted to give it 3 stars, but the last 25% were chef's kiss, so I raised it to 4. But the 75% were excruciating. Too long, too slow-paced, lacking action and that smart banter and charisma I'm used from this authors. They did a good job at making the characters feel miserable, but was it necessary to make the readers miserable and bored at the sane time? And what’s up with all those POVs?!? Justin got two POVs!? What was the point? It was absolutely useless. Then we had three Milton POVs: OK, at least those had a point I guess, giving us an insight into what was going on in Zodiac Academy but still... I really had to work my brains on who Milton was. And all those Xavier chapters, or Max, or Geraldine... it was a soup of POVs and it felt unnecessarily long.
"The stars glittered quietly, and I could have sworn I felt them turning their gaze to me, though what they saw, I didn’t know. Probably just a broken girl who was as meaningless as dust to them. But this dust could think and feel and love, and I was done being tossed around in the tides of fate. I wanted to be heard, and most of all I wanted to steal the reins from their almighty hands and steer all our fortunes towards the light."
But the last 25% were a masterpiece. You get hope, love, fear, war, awe, satisfaction, fuck yes moments, sweet moments... the last part was a tornado and it carried the entire book. That is the content you read this series for. That content is what you'd expect from Caroline and Susanne.
》》The Plot《《
“I thought we were goners. Real, for true goners,” Seth said. “We can’t die,” Cal said a little breathlessly. “We’re Bitey C, Wolfman, and Fish Fury.” “You remembered,” Seth gasped.
As expected, this picks up right were book 7 ended: in a load of crap for our MCs. Naturally, this develops along the way, but the characters spend a lot of time apart and fractured in small units. There's a lot of pain, with Tory dealing with her husband's death, the Heirs finding out about Darius being gone, Darcy being cursed and Orion paying the price, Gabriel being captured and well... you remember what an ending we've had. Even though most of this book is painful, the ending gives you hope and the characters are sort of togheter again, against all odds. Two new prophecies are made. The first one is for the girls, being even trickier that the previous one:
"When all hope hinges on a promise forged of lies, Beware the threaded minds of blood and chaos. Unlikely friends and broken bonds may shift the tide, Cleave open the walls of the lost in the depths of the unholy night. Unleash the souls tethered in the tainted dark, Unite the rising twelve and toll the bells of fate."
I was really happy we finally got explanations for the one before and then BAM, the authors hit us with this new one. And to test our patience, they throw in a second prophecy, for Lionel.
“The power of the fallen has awoken, greed and glory blazing as one. All fates hang in the balance as the flames rise from the hollow, But the Dragon still may prosper if the paths of the enemy are thwarted. Beware the one whose name is Nox, and seek the treasures of the ancient ring. Use the stolen, ally with the might of your maker. Not all starlight gleams.”
Anyway, the ending is totally worth it. It's still a cliffhanger, but this one was rather bearable and actually very delicate. It resembles more with the kind of hopeful ending the 6th book had, and they've definitely soothed our hearts a bit.
》》Characters and Relationships《《
Even though they were mostly apart, some really sweet relationships between the characters were formed. But since GR has a limited number of words per review, I'll try to highlight only some of the main relationships. What I missed a lot here was the Orion - Darius bromance though. And, if you haven’t read the book, please stop reading my review now, because spoilers will follow.
“Love you.” Orion shot me a wink and I melted for him as always. “Love you back. Let’s get home.” “Where is home these days?” “Wherever our family is,” I said with a tug in my chest, missing them all so damn much. We had to get out of here and find our way back to them. “And who are we counting as that beyond us three, Tory, Xavier and Caleb?” he asked. “Max, plus Sofia and Tyler. And don’t act like you’re not dying for a Seth snuggle,” I said with a hint of a smirk around my lips. “Actually, I think I’ll go back to the cage,” he deadpanned.
"He'd thought this opportunity was perfect for her - his exact words had been, "it says here he's a duke, there are moors, and he's romantic and brood"He'd thought this opportunity was perfect for her - his exact words had been, "it says here he's a duke, there are moors, and he's romantic and broody. You love romantic and broody!"
I have received an ARC through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and left voluntarily. Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy.
Genre: contemporary fantasy with vampires, romance, mystery Tropes: vampire and mortal romance, competing for love, hate to love, reality show, mates Series: Vampire Reality Show #1 (can be read as a stand-alone) Cliffhanger: No Spice: 2.5/5 Rating: 3.75
This book was a breath of fresh air. I've been reading exclusively romance and fantasy this year and, while this is still what I enjoy, I needed something a bit different, and Forever After delivered. It's the first book of the Vampire Reality Show series, but it doesn’t end with a cliffhanger and can be enjoyed as a stand-alone.
》》The Plot《《
In a modern day world where vampires and werewolves have come to light and, even though not extremely common, they are known and accepted by society, Autumn Reid has decided to escape her boring, monotonous life and sign up for Forever After, a new version of the Bachelor, where the male lead is an old Vampire Duke. The prize for the winner? Immortality by the Vampire's side or a large amount of cash. Oliver Gray, a bankrupted English duke, finds the solution for saving his estate in an unexpected manner: by agreeing to be the Vampire bachelor of a new reality show. And while he's sure he can't find his mate there, at least he's willing to try and play his part, even with the frustratingly attractive and stubborn girl, whose name sounds like a season. But when people start dying and all the clues point to a vampire inside the house, Autumn and Oliver have more to solve than the feelings that may or may not exist between them.
"Autumn," her name was a rumbled escape, moonlight over the moors, heaven and hell, all things combined.
The story was fast-paced and dynamic, keeping you entertained exactly in the same way a real life reality show would. The bonus part? The touch of urban fantasy. There was no hocus pocus and no magic or funny business going around, but the sheer fact that vampires, werewolves and zombies were present has set the story apart from a normal romance. It's interesting and indeed different. It's easy to read and even easier to get fond of. And you get a bit of everything and a balanced mixture of sugar, spice (literally) and everything nice.
"My heart swelled, and I realized the strength in a group of strong, confident women who weren’t trying to tear each other down. Support and encourage"My heart swelled, and I realized the strength in a group of strong, confident women who weren’t trying to tear each other down. Support and encouragement. They were straightening my crown rather than trying to steal it, because they all wore crowns as well."
The 4th book was by far the best in the series. The main character was cool, the love story had a better built up than those in the second and third book and the ending was sweet. I really could see a development, because the third book had really lowered my expectations for this final installment, but, luckily, it proved better and, thank you God of Readers, there was no insta-love.
"I was ready to take Laous down. I might not be getting the fairy-tale ending, but I would make sure all my friends did. I’d be satisfied if that happened."
》》The Plot《《
The last secret keeper, Avalon Shortlin, has always known she was special. She loves the sea more than any human she has ever met, can swim faster than it should be possible and can hold her breath for very long periods of time. But when Xander, Maya and Chase come for her, telling her the entire story of Laous and the Overworld, she knows she has the chance to finally discover a place where she can fit in, finding a family along the way. And maybe love too.
"If today had taught me anything, it was that true darkness was not the absence of light. It was the absence of hope. Hope that things could get bette"If today had taught me anything, it was that true darkness was not the absence of light. It was the absence of hope. Hope that things could get better one day. Hope that the light would return."
The second book of this series was definitely something my high-school self would have adored. My actual self? Well, I definitely enjoyed it and I liked it more than the first one. It was easy to read, I got to see more of old characters like Emma and the Darkens and the new female MC was more badass than the first one and less of a damsel in distress. I still think it's a good read for fantasy lovers who need a quick and catchy series.
“Is it still called kidnap when I’m an adult?” I fumed, the random question snapping out. Chase flashed me an amused grin. “Adult-nap?” I shrugged, narrowing my eyes on some of the resistance closest to me. “That’s more like an afternoon nap.” Marsil chimed in: “Maybe abduct?”
》》The Plot《《
As we know from the ending of the first book, Laous wishes to destroy the treaty between humans and Daelighters and for that he needs all the secret keepers, aiming now to find the second one with the help of Emma’s necklace. Daniel Imperial has sworn to do everything in his power to stop him, going to New Orleans to try and get to Callie first, the keeper born in his house.
This book is narrated from Callie's perspective, taking us from New Orleans to Overworld and back to Astoria, giving us fights, more time at the high-school, some kidnapping and a few death scenes.
“How are you handling it all?” she asked, her face serious. I shrugged. “Too soon to tell. I’m going to schedule some time for a breakdown soon, thoug“How are you handling it all?” she asked, her face serious. I shrugged. “Too soon to tell. I’m going to schedule some time for a breakdown soon, though.”
The third book of the series kind of follows the same pattern as the first two, with a little changes here and there. Reading this was nice and I still think it's something my high-school self might have loved, but I have to admit it's kind of predictable for me and it lacked plot twists to make me hold my breath. I'm still reading the last book; I think the author has some amazing ideas, but she keeps repeating things and I constantly feel like there's not enough depth to the story.
Callie shook her head as well. “You don’t have to deal with this alone. Just because you’re next in line doesn’t mean this is your problem. Emma is right, we’re a team.” “It feels as if I’ve known you two forever,” I said, my usual filters gone.
》》The Plot《《
Maya Lewis has no idea her life is about to change when she heads out for a party with Brad, her best friend. But her parents, who were a great deal of time away, working for the government, seem to have hidden a huge secret from her: aliens are real and she plays a very important part in upholding the treaty between Earth and Overworld. From here on, you know how the deal goes: hide from Laous, get friendly with the aliens and the other secret keepers, try not to get kidnapped and find your soulmate (told you there's a pattern here).
》》Characters and Relationships《《
“Oh. Em. Gee!” The shriek had me spinning around to find a pretty redhead heading in my direction. She was wearing a white shirt, black jeans with torn knees, and black Converse. What was this, the secret keepers’ uniform? This had to be Emma, the one enthusiastic about us being one big happy family. “This is perfect…” Emma ran her hands through her long wavy hair, her blue eyes sparkling in happiness. “Now we just have to find the last secret keeper before that asshole Laous. Then the four of us will be a team.” I smiled again. How did these two make me like them so quickly? I’d never had that happen before.
OK, so we meet Maya, the third secret keeper and we get to watch her and Chase, the overlord of Leights, fall in love and get Bonded, which was expected. I don't think any of us was waiting for anything else. However, that was not something I could classify as a highlight. What I really liked in this book was the relationship between the three girls: Emma, Callie and Maya.
“You feel it too, right?” “I feel it,” he said. “I’m not sure what we’re supposed to do about it, especially right now, but from the first moment I heard your name, I knew you were going to be trouble.”
Chase and Maya had that insta-love I'm not exactly a fan of, but I guess they were suitable for each other somehow, but I find it difficult to describe. I made sense for them to end up together, but again, insta-love? It just doesn't work for me.
"Somehow my childhood wish had come true and I’d stumbled into a fantasy book world. I told my parents all that reading was going to come in handy one"Somehow my childhood wish had come true and I’d stumbled into a fantasy book world. I told my parents all that reading was going to come in handy one day. Look how prepared I was for this situation…"
This book made me feel warm and fuzzy all over again. At first, like the first 3 or 4 chapters, I was kind of confused, waiting for the story to become catchy, but after that it was a definite page turner. Special thanks to Zoe Carstairs-Herondale-Blackford for the recommendation and enthusiasm - honestly, this is why I love GoodReads: it helps you find great books and people.
It's a nice and easy to follow contemporary fantasy novel, part of a series of 4 books, each one focused on a different MC. It has plenty of romance and teasing, involves traveling to magical worlds and it has dragons (now honestly, do you think that a book with hot, dark and brooding males and dragons isn't something worth reading ?!?!). Before you ask: there's no spice and no love triangle, in case anything from my review might wrongfully point in that direction.
"I wanted to ask what the big deal was with the Darkens, besides the fact that they were blessed with money and great genetics."
》》The Plot《《
After the tragic deaths of her parents, Emma Walters is left with their best friends who become her guardians and keep changing towns, having and obsession with the paranormal. Moving to Astoria, Oregon, Emma is forced to face something she has been dismissing for the past 8 months: maybe not everything is as it seems. Especially when the new town and high-school seem to be ruled by the Elite, gorgeous people who seem far to perfect for this world. And when her guardians go missing, Emma is decided to break all the rules to find and bring them back.
“Are they real?” I finally said, wrenching my eyes from the view and turning to Cara. She wore a knowing smirk. “I’ve touched them once or twice, accidentally on purpose. They’re definitely real.”
Genre: contemporary fantasy, YA Tropes: Dark Academy, magic school, magic houses, found family, love triangle Trigger Warnings: death, kidnapping, Genre: contemporary fantasy, YA Tropes: Dark Academy, magic school, magic houses, found family, love triangle Trigger Warnings: death, kidnapping, self-sacrifice Series: Shadowspell Academy #6 Cliffhanger: No Spice: 0/5 ...more
Genre: contemporary fantasy, YA Tropes: Dark Academy, magic school, magic houses, who hurt you trope, found family Trigger Warnings: death, kidnappiGenre: contemporary fantasy, YA Tropes: Dark Academy, magic school, magic houses, who hurt you trope, found family Trigger Warnings: death, kidnapping Series: Shadowspell Academy #4 Cliffhanger: Yes Spice: 0/5 ...more
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