booksalacarte's reviews
697 reviews

adventurous dark hopeful tense fast-paced

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

4.5

4.5⭐️3🌶️

Adult Fantasy
Thief FMC
Oppressed kingdom
Secret Magic
Imprisonment
Fae
Gods
Mythical creatures
Found family
Mates
Forced proximity
Morally grey MMC

If you like a tropey, spicy, romantasy read, this is for you!

The writing was decently engaging. It was an easy book to read. Maybe things were familiar because the fae plot has just been over done, at this point. But if you don’t mind it, the FMC’s magic is pretty unique for a fae based book. I still enjoyed it. Did I think of ACOTAR, FBAA and a little Serpent and the wings of night? Yup. Did I care? Not really. There was enough differences that I just let it breathe. I’m sure things will find their own way in the next book.

The characters are your basic human/fae pairing. He’s old, she’s fragile. Bla bla bla. There is insta-attraction, insta-friendships. I wish the friendship had been more organic… instead it felt like she was just added into a found family that we don’t have much context about. But there was a lot of plot going on, so hopefully that will be fixed in the next book.

I think I preferred the first setting to the second or third. I want more of the wheel spoke city. I’m assuming with the loose ties there, we will go back. But we are pretty far from it right now.

There were some inconsistencies… like her mom works at a library underground with books, which are hard to find in her section… but then she is a prostitute? I’m not sure how those two ends meet. And that’s a small one.

I liked the ending. I’m invested! It was a very bingeable read.

Content Warnings

Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson

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funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

3.0

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

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adventurous hopeful mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

First Impressions by Linda Middleton

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hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

1.75

First impressions

1.75⭐️2.75🌶️

Contemporary romance

British Romcom

Workplace romance

Family dynamics

Miscommunication

3rd act breakup

Tw: domestic violence, terrorist attack

The cover and synopsis of this book were cute and intriguing. Unfortunately it just didn’t deliver for me.

The plot was just trope after shock factor after trope. Victim situation on top of victim situation on top of victim situation. By the 50% mark I was so tired of the woe is me for this FMC. All the characters were reduced to their role, instead of coming into their own. Leaving them all flat and tired.

There is a lot of telling and not showing. The whole book was basically inner monologue. There was barely any actual dialogue. The timeline was very timeline jumpy. Events that needed unpacking never were, instead the plot would skip to later in the week.

Light spice. Barely open door.

Add a terrorist attack type explosion during London fashion week to just up the camp. I thought it was done in bad taste as something cornered into a side plot.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Content Warnings

The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

3.75⭐️3🌶️

Adult Fantasy

Multi POV

Dual timelines

Unique Magic system

Sister Story

🏳️‍🌈 FMC

Trials

Espionage

The story was hard to get into, I think because of all the reflection that happened through any internal monologue. There were so many pov’s all over the fantasy world. Trying to find a separate tone for each was a little hard when all the world building was still happening. It a lot to keep track of.

Romance between two of the FMC’s came from absolutely nowhere with no buildup. They met and kissed on the same day. The spice lacked chemistry. And I feel like it was an underdeveloped plot point.

In the end I am SO glad I pushed through, because the twist at the end, where each POV has been left off, made me very excited to continue with this series! There is so much potential and room for excitement. And knowing the author’s previous work, it’s going to be great!

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Content Warnings

War Storm by Victoria Aveyard

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challenging medium-paced

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

3.5

War storm 3.5⭐️2🌶️

Fourth book
Multi pov
Ya American dystopian fantasy
Special powers
Politics
Rebellion

I understand why people were disappointed in the ending of this series… and why the author gave in and wrote the novellas.

This book was VERY similar in structure and action to Glass Sword.

—————————
The Red Queen Series
Red Queen 4.5⭐️ 1🌶️
Glass Sword 4.5⭐️2🌶️
King’s Cage 4⭐️2.5🌶️

Kings Cage by Victoria Aveyard

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

4⭐️2.5🌶️

Third Book
Multi POV
YA American Dystopian Fantasy
Special powers
Fugitives
Politics
Rebellion
Imprisonment
Off page romance

———————————

The Red Queen Series
Red Queen 4.5⭐️ 1🌶️
Glass Sword 4.5⭐️2🌶️

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

4.5⭐️ 1🌶️

Second Book
NA American Dystopian Fantasy
Special Powers
Fugitives
Politics
Rebellion

I am really enjoying this series! This was definitely a second book in how much journeying there was. But the action at every turn made up for any repetition that was necessary. The emotional aspect was so good. You constantly feeling the push and pull of the romances.

The characters are interesting and multifaceted. The author has done a good job with who is in the forefront and who is important, but background characters. It allows more focused reading.

I have no idea how this is going to go, and that’s exciting.
———————————

The Red Queen Series
Red Queen 4.5⭐️ 1

Broken Throne by Victoria Aveyard

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hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.5

3.5⭐️

Celebrity
Alcoholism
Drug use
Medical trauma
Abandonment

Reading this after Matthew Perry has passed is very eerie.

I’m not a Friends Fangirl. But I did enjoy this memoir.

I found myself having second hand embarrassment so often. His self depreciation sense of humor is funny, ironic and sad. He’s so self aware of his issues thanks to all of his stints in rehab and therapy. It makes for a very blatantly honest memoir.

Content Warnings

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booksalacarte's reviews 697 reviews

booksalacarte's reviews
697 reviews