4/5 Star Review: From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I’m not typically a fan of vampire stories, but the beautifully crafted world created by Jennifer L. Armentrout in this book was definitely worth exploring. That being said, a fair warning: this book deals with some intense themes and graphic scenes. It’s not for the faint of heart, and I appreciated the heads-up from a friend who recommended it to me. Knowing what to expect helped me prepare for some of the darker moments.

The story revolves around Poppy, who longs to experience life but has been raised as the Maiden, a sacred figure forbidden from engaging in much of anything. She spends her days waiting for her Ascension, a mysterious process, until Hawke enters her life and turns everything upside down. The book has a bit of everything—action, violence, passion, romance, friendship, and betrayal.

Initially, I didn’t really like Poppy’s character. She seemed weak, and I struggled to connect with her. However, as the story progresses, Poppy begins to grow and take control of her life. She slowly starts to question the truths she’s been told all her life, and watching her come into her own was satisfying.

The story begins at a slow pace, and I nearly put the book down. However, I’m glad I stuck with it because once the plot picks up, it becomes an engaging read filled with fantastic characters and a richly developed world. I’m now eager to pick up the next book in the series!

4/5 stars

4/5 Star Review: The Queen of Nothing, by Holly Black

If you haven’t read the first two books in this series, The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King, I highly recommend starting there before diving into this one. I was incredibly eager to return to the world of Jude and Cardan, and let me tell you—Holly Black did not disappoint.

As expected, the book is filled with fae politics, where conspiracy, deception, and manipulation are at every turn. At the end of the previous book, Cardan managed to persuade Jude to release him from his vows, only to make her his queen and then promptly exile her back to the mortal realm. Naturally, Jude was furious. But when her sister Taryn finds herself in a dangerous situation, she reaches out to Jude for help. Determined to protect her sister, Jude decides to return to the faerie world, hiding in plain sight as she navigates the treacherous landscape to assist Taryn.

The plot is packed with intensity, including themes of revenge, family turmoil, and the underlying tension between Jude and Cardan. Oak, who is still being safeguarded in the mortal realm, also continues to play an important role, adding depth to the storyline. The novel culminates in a thrilling and satisfying finale that ties up the various plot threads beautifully.

Overall, this was one of the most captivating young adult series I’ve read in a long time. The blend of high-stakes drama, richly developed characters, and unpredictable twists makes it a standout in the genre. If you’re a fan of complex fae worlds and intense character dynamics, this series is definitely worth your time.

4/5 stars

4/5 Stars: The Wicked King

This is my first full read of 2024 – there were a bunch of DNF books on my list, which I’ll write about a bit later, but this is the first one I just couldn’t put down.

This is the second book in the Folk of the Air series by Holly Black, and I was absolutely ready to continue the story of Jude, and her family. The book moved away from some of the teenage drama that we saw in the first (I was personally glad to see this) and into more politics – which I personally found refreshing.

This is one of those rare books where I couldn’t actually tell you what I thought the twists and turns of the plot would be or where they would end up – which is probably why I found it so fascinating, it has been a long time since a book enticed me in quite that way. Jude has done some growing up – she’s stronger, but she maintains her sense of loyalty at the same time.

Make sure you read the first book to the series before this one, they don’t work as stand alone books and brace your heart.

4/5 stars

3/5 Star Review: Yours Truly

I’m not usually a huge fan of contemporary romance, but ‘Yours Truly’ by Abby Jimenez hit all the right notes, and was exactly the book I needed at the time that I read it. One of the main things that stood out is that the characters were relatable. There were situations that involved anxiety, and I could see myself in them. The characters were believable, and the story didn’t try to play down to a certain intelligence level.

There were some TW mentioned by the author, including cheating, medical issues, depression, and a mention of pregnancy loss & suicide. I appreciate that the author put this information forward, I wish more books would do that.

Over all, it was a good book to curl up with on a rainy day and just let my brain slow down – sometimes that’s exactly what I need.

3/5 stars

2/5 Stars: Fancy Meeting You Here

This book had far too many “ick” tropes, with sparsely scattered redeeming scenes.

Cliché after cliché.
“He was pricklier than my legs”
“Ben’s optimism was cautious, like a baby giraffe taking its first steps”

The one redeeming scene that pushed me to finish the rest of the book, was when the main character & love interest host a party, and disaster strikes. There’s a single line here, “Do you know why I have guests holding their mouths and their asses” – that I cackled in laughter about. Hilarious.

Drunk parties (ick) “He was so drunk. and cute.” – I’m just not the audience for this. There’s nothing cute about drunk men.
Chapter 20 included fat shaming. The main character is talking about snack tables and how long it took her to get ready due to her desire to eat / weight.
The ‘damsel in distress’ trope was over played (Ben rescued during wedding when she was being physically carried off, and then rescued again when she was being stopped by a journalist hounding her), and annoying. As was the main character’s disparage over herself. She’s so incredibly down on herself, and her life, it’s annoying and frustrating. She constantly self depreciates.

This line told me I’m simply not the audience for the book: “following you around the wedding like a simp” – I’m not the demographic. Not the books fault.

2/5

5/5 Star Review: Bookshops & Bonedust

I enjoyed reading Legends & Lattes, but I found the writing in this book had a much better flow, and it was easier for me to fall into the story. There’s a bit of romance, a little action, and of course who can forget Satchel. I’m obviously biased because the entire story takes place around books and a bookshop and everything about it just speaks to me on a personal level.

It’s such a pleasure to read these comfy cozy fantasy books. If I need a break from some heavier reads, Travis Baldree is an author I would absolutely lean towards. It may not be for everyone, you have to enjoy those light fluffy reads but I think if you go in not expecting too much, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

5/5 stars

2/5 Stars: Love, Furballs & Forever

Sure, it’s a book that should appeal to cat lovers everywhere, but this one just wasn’t for me. I didn’t enjoy the interactions between Juliet and Carlisle, and the story simply didn’t hook me. I found Juliet difficult to connect with, and she was borderline annoying. The editing and writing worked well enough and that’s the entire reason that I finished it even though the story left me wanting something deeper.

I picked this up during a sale, and while it wasn’t a good fit for me, it seems to have a lot of positive reviews, so I’m sure people out there are enjoying it.

2/5 stars

3/5 Stars: Book Lovers, by Emily Henry

This was an easy, comfortable, read – and that was what I was looking for. I enjoyed the beginning of the story much more than the end, which felt pretty rushed. Nora is the main character – she comes off as a badass in charge of her own life, but as the story went on I really grew annoyed with how immature she was, and how she didn’t seem to have any ability to solve her own issues. She also created issues where there were none, and I got bored of her complaining. She does have a sister, Libby, and I fared no better with that character story-wise.

The main love interest is Charlie, who Nora knows through work. He has a sob story past, but he isn’t really interesting. I did love the little current-day quips and “that’s what I think too!” moments that were strewn throughout the book, but in the end it just wasn’t quite enough.

The one shining star I will give to this book is that the writing is superb even if I didn’t really enjoy the story. The prologue and the first few chapters were lovely, and the writing held up throughout. I know plenty of people out there absolutely enjoyed it and I can see why it’s popular, but the story just wasn’t enough to keep me entertained, personally.

3/5 stars

1/5 Stars: Meow, by Skye MacKinnon

If I could give this book a negative star review, I would.

It was horrible. I read 25% of it and gave up – and that’s saying something. I don’t give up on books very easily, and I am typically able to at least complete them before judging. This book is the exception. It’s poorly written, (very) poorly edited, makes no sense, and is just plain bad. I received the book free and even that didn’t convince me to make it through to the end. Do yourself a favour, read something worthy of your time. This isn’t it.

1/5 stars

2/5 Stars: Have my Baby, by Taryn Quinn

Another book I read while we had no power during hurricane Fiona.

Well. What can I say. This book was built around the theory of ‘best friends forever’ (until he suddenly notices his best friend and BAM, instant love), and the sex scenes were intense, but I felt zero connection between Ally and Seth (besides the physical). The book was sweet, predictable, had drama just for the sake of having drama, angst because of course a book needs angst, and I wanted to roll my eyes on more than one occasion. If it wasn’t for the writing style I wouldn’t have even been able to make it through the entire thing, but that was done very well, despite the fact that the story itself was fairly cringe worthy. I can make it through a bad story so long as the writing is on par.

There are MANY books to this series, so it obviously has an audience that it appeals to out there, it just wasn’t for me.

2/5 Stars