Tag: book

Book Reviews

Post Blood and Honey Feels

Cayla
  1. Madame Labelle annoyed me to high heaven.
    I said what I said. I get that she is trying to protect her son, but he didn’t know that you were more than the owner of a brothel until five minutes ago, you cannot expect him to have some familial relationship in that time, and he had a relationship with Lou before you. Her constant need to try and undermine his relationship with Lou was exhausting.
  2. I need more about the Blood Witch Coven and the Loup Garou.
    Their history sounds interesting. I want to know more about Coco and her ties to the leadership of the Blood Witch Coven. She’s a princess, so I want to know about what her life is going to be like once La Voisin dies….if she ever dies because of the whole heart eating thing.

    As for the Loup Garou, their culture is probably super interesting. What are their laws like? Do they have some tie to the moon? Can they always shift? I need answers.
  3. Lou and Reid’s relationship. It pained my heart.
    They were just kind of on different wavelengths it felt like. They worked so well together in the first book, but in this book they were each doing their own thing and not really focusing on making progress in their relationship. I really just wanted them to communicate with each other!

    Madame Labelle did her part in trying to create doubt with Reid in regard to Lou. Like shouldn’t she want her son to be happy, shouldn’t she want to help Lou overcome her spiral? Lou had a tendency to martyr herself and once things started to go downhill at all, she sabotaged as much as she could and would say nasty things. Like I just want you guys to love eachother.
  4. Celie and Jean Luc!?!? What
    You loveeeeeeeeed Reid, but you hooked up with his ‘brother!?’ You also may have done so prior to Reid ending things? I cannot handle this. Jean Luc you’re supposed to have loved Reid with your whole being because he was basically your dang twin growing up, but you turned your back on him and slept with Celie because you were basically jealous of what Reid had. Ugh. Drama.

    And thennnnnnn. After Lou saves her she gets all up on her high horse that Lou stole Reid and when she sees Reid she tries to hug and curl up with him. Helloooooooo Jean Luc is in the room too!?
  5. My baby, Ansel.
    I am distraught. Literally distraught. I think in my commentary about Serpent and Dove I literally said I would die if anything happened to poor baby Ansel.

    That was so unnecessary!! He needed to be important, but not that important!

Anyways, I wish that Reid had explored his magic a little more. I am also interested to see how the twins’ magic works since it does not seem that they sacrifice anything for the magic to work, same with Reid. It just sort of happens. It also feels like they do not use patterns to work their magic.

This book didn’t quite succumb to the Second Book Syndrome curse, but it was almost there. It felt as though they kind of wandered around to see new places and people while Reid and Lou argued. I missed Coco and Beau’s comedic relief. Which, coming to that. The love triangle that was never necessary…..ugh. It was almost a freakin’ love square at one point because of Coco’s childhood love. bah.

Anyways, none of my annoyances will prevent me from reading Gods & Monsters, but for now, I’m onto From Blood and Ash.

See you after the next chapter, bookworms,

Cayla

Book Reviews

Thoughts on Serpent & Dove

Cayla
  1. I loved that this book was French inspired.
    I took French in high school and literally have never used it, so this book gave me a reason to use all that French knowledge. But really, the names, the words, the love of sweet bread/sticky buns, the architecture even was just *Chef’s kiss.* To start, knowing that it was French inspired, I could totally see in my mind’s eye the way the theater that Lou stayed in looked and the way the town looked from the rooftop of the theater.
  2. Lou and Reid were tense, passionate, and all consuming.
    It’s no secret that I love enemies to lovers and when you have an arranged marriage on top of that, I’ll just be here fanning myself. I loved Lou literally running into Reid and then slipping away, only to stumble upon him once more and being forced into marrying him. She pushes his buttons in all the right ways, and he helps her to open her mind up to seeing the world from new perspectives. Their slow roll from hatred to love was a tumble that I am here for.
  3. Reid was adorably naive, but he was a strong character.
    Reid was an orphan raised by the Archbishop and because of that his worldview was extremely narrow. I loved that Mahurin kept true to that and allowed Reid to be a little closed minded before he met Lou. She kept him true to his vow and ensured that he was a little awkward with romance and didn’t know much about the world outside being a Chass. Reid was a definite strong character. He stuck to his values even when he probably didn’t want to, like when Celie wanted him to leave his wife or use derogatory language toward her. The best part about it though was that this was in line for his character as a whole and not a result of a budding romance with Lou.
  4. The world was a little underdeveloped, but that is okay in this instance.
    I am usually a big stickler in the fantasy genre about having good world building and fleshing out details of the magic systems and the culture. In this particular case, I am glad that we didn’t spend pages upon pages on how that works because it has slowly come out with the plot, and I kind of feel like we are in Reid’s shoes learning about magic and witches with him. It also allowed for Mahurin to keep the pace of the book at a steady chug without having sudden stops in the plot to allow for details to be dumped on you.
  5. Ansel is a precious baby that must be protected at all costs.
    You should know by now that I am also a lover of side characters. I get attached to them and their stories and I need to know more about precious Ansel. He seems like such an interesting character because he was very gung ho about catching witches, but he was also very open to Lou after he discovered what she was and how he figured out what she was.

I’m anxiously awaiting the next book as well as panicking because what if it doesn’t live up to my expectations!

See you after the next chapter, bookworms,

Cayla

Book Reviews

Review: The Bridge Kingdom

Cayla

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟/5

Overall Feelings: I liked this book, but it wasn’t one I’d add to my pile of I would read over and over again. I will definitely read it again, but it isn’t going to be one that I automatically reach for. I also think some of this is because I’m not a fan of third person point of view.

Lara: So, Lara is an interesting character. She spends fifteen years of her life locked in a palace in the desert learning to be ruthless, a killer, a spy, and the perfect wife to bring Ithicana to its knees. She ‘poisons’ her sisters to grant her the ability to see her father’s plan through. Her father is atrocious, and I feel that she gave him a little bit too much trust and grace after everything that he did. I feel like after fifteen years of training to be an assassin and a spy, she should have done a little bit better of a job. At times, she seemed a little naive, immature, and out of character for what she is written to be.

Aren: I actually liked Aren. He seems like a good guy that cares about his people. His relationship with Jor is fun, and I like the interactions between him and the various soldiers. I like the way his head works, and I wish I got to see more of how he ruled Ithicana. We saw a good bit of Lara without Aren, but in his POVs there wasn’t enough done without Lara. I wanted to see more of him running through the bridge, doing his Kingly duties, and interacting with his soldiers. Low key though, he’s a little too forgiving. Like be angry! Your wife deceived you, was going to overthrow your country, and is a spy, but hey that’s okay. I love you.

Side characters: I thought Jor was a good mentor for Aren. I would like to see more of him. He seemed to be a good person with looking out for Aren and the country’s best interests. I’ve seen people complain about the “crass” language of the soldiers, but that is what makes their characters feel more realistic. Having been around those types in the real world, that is very much how they would speak. There’s a reason people refer to swearing as “like a sailor.” Ahnna…..I don’t know how to feel about her. She was fine, but also a little flat.

Romance: For being listed as “Romantic Fantasy,” I felt like this book lacked romance. There was definitely fantasy, but when the author said slow burn, she meant that there’s only a scrap of romance. They “love” eachother, but when she is doing her whole reveal about the spy life, why didn’t she reveal her sisters and what she did. She loves this man and has seen how he acts and that he is honest, so why does she believe her father over him when her father effectively abused her for 15 years?

I wish that their romance had more sexual tension and more build up to the scene where they did have sex. In addition, when they sneak back into her home country and Aren sees his old fling, I cringed so hard. This scene bothered me because Aren, for being a good guy, seemed like he was getting ready to have his way with her and would have cheated on Lara had it not been for Jor.

World Building: I have a good grasp on Ithicana, but the rest of the world fell a little flat to me. Even Lara’s homeland was a little flat. I thought using the bridge was a neat idea to move goods, but I really didn’t understand the need for secrecy?

I have book two in my cart to buy, but it won’t be on my next to read any time soon.

See you after the next chapter!
Cayla

ARC Reviews

ARC Review: Witch’s Curse

Cayla

Rating: 4.5/5

World Building: In paranormal books, I like to take time to look at the building of the world and the paranormal creatures/culture that the author builds. Sloane Murphy did a great job of creating the culture between the witches, demons, hunters, and the rest of the crew. I felt like this was an important part of this book because Murphy could have easily relied on the other portion of the series to do this for her and required readers to have read that before this series. I think great authors, like Murphy, take the time to continue to flesh out the world in each book regardless of where it falls in the series.

Characters:

Fallon: I really liked her and felt that she had good depth. Her sass was fun to read and I liked that despite her hardcore crush on Colt, she didn’t cave to him. I appreciate when authors write characters that don’t begin to blend together. Remy, Fallon’s best friend, does not feel the same as Fallon, which can be a difficult thing to keep throughout a series. Fallon has her own goals and motivations just like Remy has her own ideals.

Colt: I loved to hate him only to love him. He drove me nuts at the beginning, but he grew on me over time. I liked that Murphy added in the reincarnation element to immortality. I feel like this is something that we do not see often in books with these themes. I also think that Murphy’s overall development through the book of Colt allowed me to move from disliking him initially to actually feeling like he was someone I could enjoy seeing our FMC loving.

Relationships:

Of course we have our relationship between Colt and Fallon, which was spicy and I can’t wait to see more of, but the time that Murphy spent fleshing out the relationship between Fallon and her mother and sister was time well spent. It felt real and did not leave me feeling like it was a stale representation of a family. She gave them life and made the mother/daughter relationship feel like the real relationship most mothers have with their kids as they grow older: a friendship and a partnership.

Fallon and Remy, sometimes I feel like Fallon forgot herself trying to help Remy at times, but I love Fallon’s devotion to those she cares about, and this relationship really plays on that.

I’ll be so impatiently waiting for the next book!

See you after the next chapter, bookworms!
Cayla

Book Reviews

Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

Cayla

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Overall Feelings: I ordered this book without the second book….or the third….or fourth…you get the picture. By the time I was a few chapters in, I ordered the entirety of the series. At first, I was a thrown a little off kilter, as you usually are when diving into a completely new book world where the first 100 pages are world building.

The beginning also gave me serious Beauty and the Beast vibes with Tamlin being so mysterious and broody, but slowly warming to Feyre. Lucien was a favorite of mine, with his snarky quips and fox-like behavior. The build to the climax that I thought was going to happen changed wildly. I love and hate that Tamlin sent Feyre home after their relationship built so much, and I pulled my hair our when she refused to say she loved him. Killed me a little inside to read that.

Then, her struggles to free Tamlin from the Queen only showed her growth more and made me love Lucien so much more also. Also….also. The twist at the end!

Overall, I cannot wait for the next book to arrive.

Characters: Feyre: She was easy for me to enjoy early on. I felt like Maas easily conveyed Feyre’s emotions, and I felt that when we meet Feyre, you can tell that she has been hardened by a rough few years. Her family has shown her little kindness despite the fact that she puts the food on the table and goes without so her sisters can enjoy the money she brings in.

Sometimes she drove me up a wall, like disobeying Tamlin and going to the Fire Night ritual…..but she met Rhysand that night, and isn’t he just delicious? However, we’ll come back to that. Feyre showed great strength and loyalty after Tamlin sent her away and she returned. I almost think that the last bit of the book where she is locked away awaiting her trials is my favorite part of the book.

Tamlin: He is a character I’m sure that the next book will show me that I was a fool to love. I was totally sucked in by his “mercy” that he showed to Feyre. I thought, “oh, how kind he is to offer her a place in his palace in exchange for Andras’ life.” Ha! What a fool! I appreciated his similarities to the Beast from Beauty and the Beast, his uncontrolled rage, his tentative romance with Feyre, and his friendship with those that are stuck in his palace.

I got more and more frustrated with him as time went on and he sat quietly by, and it seemed that Lucien was more interested in helping Feyre than Tamlin. I think Tamlin could have done a great deal more to woo Feyre and break his curse. It was also kind of meh thinking about his Fire Night ritual and how he sleeps with one Fae then turns around and expects Feyre to open up and be willing? Negative.

Lucien: I loved him. I can’t wait for his role in the next book. He was mischievous and playful. He was snide and sarcastic and just a great character. Lucien time and time again risked so much for Feyre that I almost wanted her to fall for him because he seemed like a much better character than Tamlin. Lucien “protected” Feyre from Rhysand when he burst in while they were sharing a meal.

He basically offered himself up on a platter while Feyre was facing the trials. He risked himself time and time again, saying it was on behalf of Tamlin. I don’t buy it though. Maybe a bit was on behalf of Tamlin, but I think Lucien is a better person than Tamlin.

Rysand: I mean duh. He had to be in here. I hated him at first, but I grew to love him. He’s interesting and complex. I wasn’t sure about him, but he’s obviously drawn to Feyre and did some level of protecting her during her time Under the Mountain. Was it a little self serving? Yes. However, he’s meant to be a villain….ish?

Moving on. The whole sex thing. I saw a review on amazon call this erotica……uh. Ma’am you would be horrified by actual erotica if that were the case. In any case, I don’t think they even have sex more than two or three times and it is not as exciting as some reviewers make it out to be.

I also didn’t think there was a lot of violence or language like other reviewers thought either, have you seen today’s movies and video games?

Next read….as I wait for the next in the series to arrive: Deal with the Elf King by Elise Kova

Until the next chapter, bookworms,

Cayla

Book Reviews

The Revenge Pact: Isla Madden-Mills

Cayla

Hey Bookworms!

I am a sucker for college sports romances, and on top of that, I love Isla Madden-Mills work. I’ve read five of her books so far, and I’ll probably be starting another soon. I read this book in two days, staying up until midnight reading.

Rating: 🌟Five beautiful, big stars. 🌟

Synopsis: River is a football god on campus, Anastasia is a queen of nothing and sweet as pie. River pretends she doesn’t exist, and Anastasia works to forget she’s drawn to River. Her world comes crumbling down around her in a moment, and he’s there to help pick up the pieces with a revenge pact.

My thoughts:

The Characters: We’ll start with River, our main man. To be quite honest, I couldn’t stand him in the first chapter. He crawls out of bed, having a grumpfest over his football season not going as planned, eventually gets in his truck and goes to campus with a thought about not thinking about her.

River actually grew on me quite a bit, and I freakin’ swoon over him now. I see why he didn’t want to think about Anastasia, our leading lady, because he was the instigator to the relationship she had with his fraternity brother instead of him.

River is actually a very caring guy and goes out of his way to take care of those closest to him. As president of Kappa, he came up with fun fundraisers and new ideas to harp on the pledges instead of the typical routines that most frats fall into. River also takes extra thought when it comes to his family and would give up anything to help his family including the degree he has slaved over, fighting his learning disabilities.

River tries to put his feelings for Ana aside when she’s in a time of need, and ends up staying out all night to comfort her after the wildly dramatic breakup she goes through, which just goes to show how caring and kind he can be.

Anastasia, the leading lady, is different, and she likes being different. I think what I liked most about Anastasia was that she wasn’t just titled different and written as every other heroine in romance novels is where the only thing different is that they wear glasses. No. Anastasia dyes her hair lavender, she takes the time to make friends with the transient living behind her apartment complex. She makes friends with Crazy Carl at the bar.

Her upbringing itself was different. Anastasia never went to a normal school, she was taught by scholars, physicists, artists, musicians. Her parents were gypsies and always on the move. They’d leave her in the care of people they thought were trustworthy and teachers. Anastasia ended up loving one of the people she was entrusted to and grew up faster than she should have by falling for someone who was in his thirties and married when she was just seventeen.

Anastasia is quick to love, which plays into the struggle in the story. She is wildly smart and plans on going to Harvard with Donovan….until that falls apart. I think she is fairly well rounded as a character in general without having a Mary Sue quality. You feel her raw emotions, she lashes out at River because he’s there. Then, you feel her guilt at lashing out and her sadness over the things that get her down. Ana has fears over people leaving her because of her upbringing. She was basically left over and over again by her parents and then by Bryson, her older love. She is effectively left behind once more with Donovan. Due to all of this, she fears River will leave her too.

My favorite thing about Isla Madden-Mills is that her secondary characters have depth to them. While Donovan isn’t a total secondary character, he’s a villain in my head…that’s a little harsh though, he is fairly well developed. I strongly disliked him from the start, but he is a product of his upbringing. Donovan was from an affluent family with political ties, and he was raised as such. He was raised to value public image and keeping his ducks in a row and everything needed to be tidy.

He had broken up with Harper, his picture perfect hometown girlfriend, and he dated Anastasia. He was probably drawn to her because she was different, but he ultimately left her because she was different. Donovan is easily swayed by his parents, and they convince him that it’s time to leave Anastasia after they dig into her history. Their breakup was messy, dramatic, and public, but it was the catalyst that caused Anastasia to wake up and see River.

Lila and Colette were somewhat developed, but they were also kind of forgettable. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Lila’s quirky commentary, especially when she was high on marijuana. That whole scene with them smoking and thinking they were hallucinating seeing River was hysterical and had me rolling. However, I think Colette was kind of forgotten. Lila was a hoot with her revenge pact idea and the whole Legally Lavender idea.

June I loved the inclusion of June. I think that she really helped to show not just Anastasia’s caring and nurturing side, but also helped to develop River’s sweet gooey center. He drove around in the middle of the night to find June when Anastasia couldn’t find her. He couldn’t bear the thought of her being out there hurt and then solved the problem of her not having a place to stay anymore. I loved that June had a backstory and was not simply a transient that Anastasia cared for. The tie in with her son dying in a fire and then June losing her place to stay because the boiler had exploded was nice attention to detail on the author’s part.

Crazy Carl was an interesting character, literally. The man believes in aliens and that there are other life forms. Maybe. Maybe not. He is the second mastermind behind getting River and Anastasia together and ties up nicely with a neat bow in solving June’s living problem by allowing her to live in his RV.

Last. Benji. I freakin’ love Benji. He’s such an oddball with his love of his deceased pet bird only to have River buy a bearded dragon for him. He is so sweet to Anastasia and also a great little brother to River. He speaks his mind, but he’s still easily distracted by girls. Literally, just give me a whole book about Benji, kthxbye.

The Plot: I don’t really have any qualms about the plot. I feel like the build up to the breakup of Donovan and Anastasia took a little too long, but it did build anticipation for Anastasia finally realizing that River is actually her perfect man.

The moments of tension between Anastasia and River were perfectly spaced and so spicy. His pushing her buttons on the elevator with the phone call from his niece and then his fake phone call to his niece. The forcing of them to sit next to each other in class, I can literally see them pushed up against the opposite sides of their chairs.

Then, River begrudgingly eating her lasagna and taking the pan and her book back to her. Yes. Him walking in on her high while celebrating her birthday, also fabulous. That whole scene was hysterical. Anastasia casually feeling his face, determined that her head has conjured him up. The fact that she thinks she’s conjured him up just shows that he’s really who her brain wants.

The breakup. Oh god. I can just feel the secondhand embarrassment from them. I could totally see this happening at a frat party too. Forget the mic is on, and next thing you know, you’ve broadcasted your break up to the whole party. So cringey. But we’ve got River there to save the day.

What I also liked about the plot was that it didn’t wrap up immediately after the two got together. They still had open conflicts to resolve, and they did. The issue of where was Anastasia going to go to law school…was she going to go? What was River going to do the next semester? What was going to happen with Carl and June, River’s mom, Lila and Colette?

Until next time, and I’ll see you guys after the next chapter!