beccaannekent's reviews
585 reviews

Ghosts Of Halloween by Layla Fae

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Wasn’t necessarily here for the plot, but definitely here for a good time. 

Plowed by the Pumpkin King by Juno Delight

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

How do you manage a cliffhanger on a 56 page novella? 

Rating purely because I’m fuming I didn’t get my HEA. 

Squashed by Ima Cupcake, Ima Cupcake

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

1.5

I have so many questions but I don’t think I’m ready for the answers to any of them. 

Jack by Layla Fae

emotional funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

The ending was a twist that’s for sure

Scream For Us by Molly Doyle

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

All the whore, no lore.



But very enjoyable nonetheless!

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Bettany Hughes

adventurous informative lighthearted mysterious reflective slow-paced

3.5

I’ve always been absolutely obsessed with the Ancient Wonders of the world, even as a kid. HOW did they make such stunning and impressive monuments, with such limited technology? 

Hughes brings to life the conception of the wonders, their creation and then their downfall (only the Pyramids at Giza remaining). 

Although, potentially a little dry in places - listening to this as an audio was the correct decision. I felt immersed in the descriptions and detail provided. After now finally visiting one of the wonders (The Temple of Artemis) I cannot wait to eventually visit the locations of the others. 

Carved From the Heart by McKenna Cross

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

3.0

An odd, and kind of sweet concept with a HFN ending (I understand there is a part 2 to this novella).

Paul, a pumpkin brought to life through magic, is the sweetest golden retriever main character. He tried his hardest in everything he does, and it’s very easy to find him endearing and loveable.

Candace is much less so. She’s rude, standoffish and quite cruel to Paul. Hopefully this attitude is resolved in the sequel as Paul deserves better (a phrase I never expected to type about a sentient pumpkin). 

Jacked Up: A Whimsical Sentient Object Dark Romance by Latrexa Nova

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Possibly the best sentient Halloween book I’ve read so far!

This story was well constructed, had a full plot with quite detailed backstories for characters. Usual in a novella, but this was nearly 100 pages and those extra pages giving the room to allow for the plot expansion really helped. 

I still find clowns and Jack in the Boxes creepy…

Epic of Helinthia by M.J. Pankey

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

What a fantastic, epic fantasy M.J. Pankey has written. Taking inspiration from Greek Mythology and also actual Ancient Greek political structures, the author has managed to weave a complex and quite unique storyline with themes of fantasy, magic and politics. 

The characters were written well, with their past and relationships explored throughout each POV, revealing the story and leading up to a dramatic ending. I particularly found Gonivein’s POV my favourite to read, she had such a fantastic character development and unexpected storyline. 

The Island of Helinthia is a fictional one, and probably the weakest part of this story is understanding the layout of the island, where each city/town is located and then the relationship they have with each other. However, the political and social structure of the world really cemented myself in this story. I was swept up in learning who was who and what role they held and by midway through, I was confident in my understanding. 

The strength fully lies in Pankey’s ability to write suspenseful dialogue, culminating in such a fantastic final few chapters where revelations were aplenty and I was totally hooked.

I’d absolutely recommend this to anyone who are fans of Ancient Greece, and their gods but particularly for those who are wishing to step back from the mythology retellings and are ready for an epic, masterful fantasy. 

I want to thank NetGalley, Book Whisperer and M.J. Pankey for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. The review is my own opinion and I have given this freely. 

Seduced by the Pumpkin Spice Latte by Evelyn Cloves

funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

1.0

I have zero words, I am gobsmacked. This had to be satire, based on those that that do go feral for autumn every year?!

If I do know 1 thing, it’s that I’ll never look at a PSL in the same way ever again.