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bookishspy's reviews
240 reviews
Sweet Anarchy by Steph Macca
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
As much as I loved this series, I truly don't think it needed four books..
Not much happened in this one, and unlike the first two, I was not gasping, nor was I surprised at all by the twists in this book
I am a bit sad that we didn't get as much Chuck as I would've hoped. For someone so important, we didn't even know his first name until this book. I truly think he needed more of a spotlight
Also, Rylee has to be the most incompetent person in the world sometimes.. like just stay home and you'll be fine, and don't go out alone
Anyways ignoring all of that, I really did enjoy this series! The first few books had me hooked so fast, and it was impossible to put them down
I'm really going to miss these characters 🥹
➛ 𝟑 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
Not much happened in this one, and unlike the first two, I was not gasping, nor was I surprised at all by the twists in this book
I am a bit sad that we didn't get as much Chuck as I would've hoped. For someone so important, we didn't even know his first name until this book. I truly think he needed more of a spotlight
Also, Rylee has to be the most incompetent person in the world sometimes.. like just stay home and you'll be fine, and don't go out alone
Anyways ignoring all of that, I really did enjoy this series! The first few books had me hooked so fast, and it was impossible to put them down
I'm really going to miss these characters 🥹
➛ 𝟑 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Blood
Moderate: Miscarriage, Violence, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Minor: Vomit, Medical content, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Recklessly Damaged by Steph Macca
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Chuck better be OK or I'll cry
I'm so tired of Chuck being thrown under the bus, though. Like I get that the step brothers are like the main course or whatever, but I feel like Chuck only gets these tiny parts in these books, and I just really want more of him
Also, the bros all had major personality swaps in this book, which was odd. One second, I was like ugh stop being so whiny, Asher.. next second, he was all magically grown up and accepting? Idk I think that shocked me. It needed to be slightly more gradual for it to feel more natural
Oh, and random side note, but if I ever read the words drama llama in a book again, I will rage.
On to the final book of my binge!
➛ 𝟒 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
I'm so tired of Chuck being thrown under the bus, though. Like I get that the step brothers are like the main course or whatever, but I feel like Chuck only gets these tiny parts in these books, and I just really want more of him
Also, the bros all had major personality swaps in this book, which was odd. One second, I was like ugh stop being so whiny, Asher.. next second, he was all magically grown up and accepting? Idk I think that shocked me. It needed to be slightly more gradual for it to feel more natural
Oh, and random side note, but if I ever read the words drama llama in a book again, I will rage.
On to the final book of my binge!
➛ 𝟒 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Medical content
Moderate: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: War
Pretty Savages by Steph Macca
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? No
4.5
Omg that ending?! I will immediately be reading the next book
Also, if I don't get to see more of Chuck, I will throw hands. He deserves so much and I love him 🥹
Blake, how is he so easy to like already? Like, I thought I'd hate him for longer, but nope, he's great
Asher is a little redeemed but not much. He's still a whiny man-child who needs to grow up, and if I could choose any man over him, I would at this point. I don't buy their "love" at all.
Zayn is hilarious, and honestly, I love every scene with him in, though I wish he had more of a personality at times
Plot? Idk what the plot really is at this point, but I'm still enjoying it, so who cares 😂
Okay, I'm off to read the next book. See yall in another couple hours when I'll have inevitably finished that one too 😘
➛ 𝟒.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
Also, if I don't get to see more of Chuck, I will throw hands. He deserves so much and I love him 🥹
Blake, how is he so easy to like already? Like, I thought I'd hate him for longer, but nope, he's great
Asher is a little redeemed but not much. He's still a whiny man-child who needs to grow up, and if I could choose any man over him, I would at this point. I don't buy their "love" at all.
Zayn is hilarious, and honestly, I love every scene with him in, though I wish he had more of a personality at times
Plot? Idk what the plot really is at this point, but I'm still enjoying it, so who cares 😂
Okay, I'm off to read the next book. See yall in another couple hours when I'll have inevitably finished that one too 😘
➛ 𝟒.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Drug use, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Car accident, and Alcohol
Moderate: Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Death, Stalking, and Death of parent
Vicious Games by Steph Macca
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I'm creating an Asher Hater Club. What a knob
If you try to turn this around and make me like him after he just acted like she was trash and treated her as such, you're gonna have to try sooo hard
Side note, I love Chuck. He seems like a sweetie pie
Did not see the twins coming, mainly because I did not read the blurb, and I'm glad I didn't lol
I'm so glad they arrived because I was wondering where the RH was going to come from 🤭
Now as for the writing, I have to say there were a few plot holes etc in this story, but if I'm honest I was having too much fun to care, I just sort of skipped over it. They were mostly easy things to ignore, so it wasn't a big deal
Overall, I binged this in one sitting and then immediately moved on to the 2nd book, so I clearly loved it, but being objective, I did have to look over a few issues to get there
➛ 𝟒.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
If you try to turn this around and make me like him after he just acted like she was trash and treated her as such, you're gonna have to try sooo hard
Side note, I love Chuck. He seems like a sweetie pie
Did not see the twins coming, mainly because I did not read the blurb, and I'm glad I didn't lol
I'm so glad they arrived because I was wondering where the RH was going to come from 🤭
Now as for the writing, I have to say there were a few plot holes etc in this story, but if I'm honest I was having too much fun to care, I just sort of skipped over it. They were mostly easy things to ignore, so it wasn't a big deal
Overall, I binged this in one sitting and then immediately moved on to the 2nd book, so I clearly loved it, but being objective, I did have to look over a few issues to get there
➛ 𝟒.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
Off to the Races by Elsie Silver
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I truly hated this man 🤠
The way his internal monologue always made things so much worse was just vomit worthy. Even in the first couple of chapters, he was just constantly objectifying this woman and not in a cute way. It came off moderately predatory.
My only positive feelings were for the horse. I don't know why, but the horse seemed to have the most personality of the whole group
I felt absolutely no connection to both the FMC or MMC. Perhaps because they had no personality or substance outside of work and their one little character defining trait.
That being said, I still had a decent time with this book. It was a quick, easy, light-hearted read, and it made me curious about the other stories in this series.
➛ 𝟑 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
The way his internal monologue always made things so much worse was just vomit worthy. Even in the first couple of chapters, he was just constantly objectifying this woman and not in a cute way. It came off moderately predatory.
My only positive feelings were for the horse. I don't know why, but the horse seemed to have the most personality of the whole group
I felt absolutely no connection to both the FMC or MMC. Perhaps because they had no personality or substance outside of work and their one little character defining trait.
That being said, I still had a decent time with this book. It was a quick, easy, light-hearted read, and it made me curious about the other stories in this series.
➛ 𝟑 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
Phantasma by Kaylie Smith
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Maybe don't read this if you're a Stephanie Garber fan...
Firstly, I want to say I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was absolutely fantastic, I'd actually highly recommend it if you are going to read this book
Now, as for the book itself, this actually just *was* Caraval but with anticlimactic trials and ghosty devil thingys. Like, it was the same. Just different. I don't know how I feel about that.
The characters were essentially the same, just less fleshed out. There was the whole sister running away to the show thing.There was the ending revelation that I was all too prepared for. And lastly, there was the momentary "other man" aspect but with sooooo much less tension than Jacks ever created with his mere mention...
I feel like my problem is almost that this was *too* similar to Caraval in all the ways that mattered, but so dissimilar in the writing and attention to detail that it was disappointing
Plus side, there was banter, and there was spice. The spice was good. The banter was good. I did not find either of these to be cringe or disappointing. In fact, the banter is what kept me reading, and the spice was just a little bonus 😏
Overall, this was a decent read with a very predictable plot twist, and if you were going into it without Caraval knowledge, it'd probably be an alright time
➛ 𝟐.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
P.S. Was it just me and my spy abilities, or was the cat just so obvious 🐈⬛️
Firstly, I want to say I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was absolutely fantastic, I'd actually highly recommend it if you are going to read this book
Now, as for the book itself, this actually just *was* Caraval but with anticlimactic trials and ghosty devil thingys. Like, it was the same. Just different. I don't know how I feel about that.
The characters were essentially the same, just less fleshed out. There was the whole sister running away to the show thing.There was the ending revelation that I was all too prepared for. And lastly, there was the momentary "other man" aspect but with sooooo much less tension than Jacks ever created with his mere mention...
I feel like my problem is almost that this was *too* similar to Caraval in all the ways that mattered, but so dissimilar in the writing and attention to detail that it was disappointing
Plus side, there was banter, and there was spice. The spice was good. The banter was good. I did not find either of these to be cringe or disappointing. In fact, the banter is what kept me reading, and the spice was just a little bonus 😏
Overall, this was a decent read with a very predictable plot twist, and if you were going into it without Caraval knowledge, it'd probably be an alright time
➛ 𝟐.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
P.S. Was it just me and my spy abilities, or was the cat just so obvious 🐈⬛️
God of Malice by Rina Kent
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I don't have much to say... mainly because I found this book as bland as Killian finds life
There was little to no actual connection between the two main characters... who, by the way, had about one character trait each. FMC is an artist who hates herself and (surprise surprise) magically changes for the better due to a man 🙄, and MMC is a psychopath with no feelings but, for some reason, is interested in the boring little artist. That's it. It doesn't go deeper.
The side characters were mildly more interesting but not by much. Though I'd rather read every scene with them repeatedly than read more about Killian and Glynn
Oh, the spice, sorry, but that was also a no from me. My face was just blank and bored the whole time. It just didn't seem realistic at all..
Overall, I love a good dark romance usually, but for some reason, this one just hit wrong the whole time.. can't say I'd really recommend it sadly
➛ 𝟐 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
There was little to no actual connection between the two main characters... who, by the way, had about one character trait each. FMC is an artist who hates herself and (surprise surprise) magically changes for the better due to a man 🙄, and MMC is a psychopath with no feelings but, for some reason, is interested in the boring little artist. That's it. It doesn't go deeper.
The side characters were mildly more interesting but not by much. Though I'd rather read every scene with them repeatedly than read more about Killian and Glynn
Oh, the spice, sorry, but that was also a no from me. My face was just blank and bored the whole time. It just didn't seem realistic at all..
Overall, I love a good dark romance usually, but for some reason, this one just hit wrong the whole time.. can't say I'd really recommend it sadly
➛ 𝟐 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
Her Psycho Beasts by E.P. Bali
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Fully almost DNF this... but I'm glad I didn't!
To be honest, the first half of this had me bored out of my mind. Nothing memorable really happened in it, just a bunch of filler to be honest
Also, there was a change in certain characters, which was also quite obvious. I feel like Ghoul was pretty different from the original few times we saw him
Xander can go lick a toad... which really sucks because I wanted more from him...
Lyle got a bit boring. He seemed like a back-up character..
Even Aurelia changed a lot. I feel that was supposed to be purposeful? But it felt a bit odd, like the service station scene was a bit weird to read, considering the first book was her doing the complete opposite
But Scythe and Savage CARRIED
Savage had me laughing my head off. His POVs with his insane thoughts 😂 honestly I could read a whole book of his POV
Scythe has my whole heart. I fully cried multiple times. He was everything, and I'm tearing up just thinking about it. He is absolutely everything
I'm curious to see what happens with Beak though? I need to know where he will end up because I truly did love their chemistry in the first book, and then he sort of just got tossed to the side
Overall, this is hard to rate, but if I'm being objective, I can't rate it as highly as I'd like because the first half was just not amazing, even if I loved the second half
➛ 𝟑.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
To be honest, the first half of this had me bored out of my mind. Nothing memorable really happened in it, just a bunch of filler to be honest
Also, there was a change in certain characters, which was also quite obvious. I feel like Ghoul was pretty different from the original few times we saw him
Xander can go lick a toad... which really sucks because I wanted more from him...
Lyle got a bit boring. He seemed like a back-up character..
Even Aurelia changed a lot. I feel that was supposed to be purposeful? But it felt a bit odd, like the service station scene was a bit weird to read, considering the first book was her doing the complete opposite
But Scythe and Savage CARRIED
Savage had me laughing my head off. His POVs with his insane thoughts 😂 honestly I could read a whole book of his POV
Scythe has my whole heart. I fully cried multiple times. He was everything, and I'm tearing up just thinking about it. He is absolutely everything
I'm curious to see what happens with Beak though? I need to know where he will end up because I truly did love their chemistry in the first book, and then he sort of just got tossed to the side
Overall, this is hard to rate, but if I'm being objective, I can't rate it as highly as I'd like because the first half was just not amazing, even if I loved the second half
➛ 𝟑.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
Spectacular by Stephanie Garber
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
I loved this 🥹
Was I hoping for a Jacks cameo? Sure. But honestly, what I got was better
The artwork, the characters, Legend being Legend, everything!
Truly just threw me right back into the world of Caraval, and I remembered exactly why I loved the original series in the first place
Also I feel like this was hinting at something, which I really hope we get the chance to read in the future
For a cute little novella, I have to say I really enjoyed it, and it left me with the urge to re-read the whole series!
➛ 𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
Was I hoping for a Jacks cameo? Sure. But honestly, what I got was better
The artwork, the characters, Legend being Legend, everything!
Truly just threw me right back into the world of Caraval, and I remembered exactly why I loved the original series in the first place
Also I feel like this was hinting at something, which I really hope we get the chance to read in the future
For a cute little novella, I have to say I really enjoyed it, and it left me with the urge to re-read the whole series!
➛ 𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Minor: Drug use
Triple-Duty Bodyguards by Lily Gold
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I wanted to love this, I truly did, but sadly, it just wasn't for me
The first like 20% of this book flew by, and it was really fun! I was kicking my feet and giggling just like I should with any romance
But then they were just like yeah we share. Take that guy instead. He's into that
And she was like, okay, bet
I'm afraid all the tension flew out the window, and I lost interest..
I didn't actually care about them like I was supposed to after that because they had absolutely zero chemistry
The main characters were beyond frustrating, too. As if they didn't know who the person was who kept leaking their location, and why were they so terrible at their jobs... ugh
Overall, this book went on entirely too long, had a plot line that was not interesting in the least, and had no tension. You get an extra half star for the first 20%
➛ 𝟏.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
The first like 20% of this book flew by, and it was really fun! I was kicking my feet and giggling just like I should with any romance
But then they were just like yeah we share. Take that guy instead. He's into that
And she was like, okay, bet
I'm afraid all the tension flew out the window, and I lost interest..
I didn't actually care about them like I was supposed to after that because they had absolutely zero chemistry
The main characters were beyond frustrating, too. As if they didn't know who the person was who kept leaking their location, and why were they so terrible at their jobs... ugh
Overall, this book went on entirely too long, had a plot line that was not interesting in the least, and had no tension. You get an extra half star for the first 20%
➛ 𝟏.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬