brii_brii's reviews
1916 reviews

Goldfinch by Raven Kennedy

3.0

 

You know, considering the last couple books really went downhill for me, and I was not excited to dive into this one, I ended this series feeling pretty good about it overall. 

My biggest issue with the last two books was the lack of movement in the plot. So little happened with the characters or politically to move the story forward that I found myself so, so bored and struggling to get through. But this conclusion really stepped it up. To be fair, there was a lot that needed to be addressed before the story could end, so I think that really helped keep this book full of action and intrigue in order to keep the story moving. I was terrified going into this as I absolutely hate an amnesia trope, and we ended the last book very heavily on one. It was done really well though I think, there were enough other povs that we focused on that I barely even noticed what was going on with Auren, I didn’t even get a chance to hate it. 

I have to be honest here though, I still didn’t love this. I don’t know what happened between the first three books to the last three, but I didn’t love, or connect with these last three books at all. All of the extra povs felt out of place and unnecessary. The focus on so many additional characters really took away from the story of Auren and Slade that had originally captured my heart and pulled me into this story. 

While I was happy to see a faster paced story with a little more guts, it just wasn’t the story I was hoping for. After all of the build up I was left very underwhelmed by the final conclusion, which, in turn, left me feeling pretty hollow after all of the time I spent with these characters. 

 

Cursed by B.E. Brouillard, Charlene Hartnady

1.0

 

I think this book just made me irrationally angry right from the get go. 

Our fmc, Quinn, starts off as this quirky, relatable down to earth girl. She's got curves, normal sized boobs, glasses, and bad hair days. Here I am rejoicing because this girl isn't one of those perfect girls that everyone swoons over, she's just a normal girl. Yeah. No. For like ten pages. Then she loses a ton of weight overnight and gets a flat stomach. She can suddenly see perfectly and doesn’t need glasses. Her hair grows and is perfect and thick and lucious. People literally stop her in the street to tell her how amazing she is. Because she just wasn't up to par before with all her flaws I guess, right?

Maybe I’m looking too deep into this, but like I said. Angry. Honestly, I was so frustrated by this that it put a damper on the rest of the book for me. Not that there was much of a plot anyways. This book is just two guys trying to out macho each other to get the girl. There’s some segments of her learning to fly, and coming into her power, but for the vast majority. Two dudes fighting over the all perfect, no flaws, gorgeous girl. Not even two dudes, plus the entire supernatural community, because not only is she flawless, apparently she's the last of her line, and bound to be super powerful or something. It didn’t really get into that too much, so who knows.

 

Under the Strawberry Moon by Melanie Karsak

5.0

 

I needed this story so badly, and it was everything I wanted it to be. Well, that's not entirely true. I wish we had a bit more time with Svafa and Angantyr. I know it was a short novella, but after reading 4 books at this point, alluding to how much Svafa and Angantyr loved each other, I really wanted to see more of them together. 

Either way, the story was enthralling and heartbreaking, but it really couldn’t have gone any other way. 

 

Shield-Maiden: Under the Blood Moon by Melanie Karsak

5.0

 

This series gets better and better. Honestly.

This one really hit hard on so many emotional levels, I lost count of how many times I had to take a second to clear the tears from my eyes. There was a lot of loss in this one, but in the same breath, so much new life gained and my entire heart is invested in this story and its characters. 

I absolutely love watching Hervor grow into herself as a person, as a Jarl, as a mother and now 

as a Queen, she is everything I want in a fmc and I couldn't ask for more. 

I won’t lie though, I’m terrified of where we’re going in this story with her new baby. Will all of the bad omens and the Gods warning Hervor to be careful what she wishes for, I’m very nervous for what I’m walking into with the final installment in the series.

 

Fractured by R. Phillips

2.0

 

Well. I think of the three books in this series, I enjoyed this one the most. 

While it may have been outlandish, quite unrealistic and extremely overdramatic, this installment had more plot to it than both book one and two combined, and I was quite happy to finally feel like I was actually reading something with a little bit of substance. 

That being said, I still don’t like El. She’s just such a fake character and very self centered; I never could get past any of it to actually like her, or even connect with her on the smallest level. She also somehow transformed herself into some kind of super spy in less than six months after being  very kept and spoiled her entire life, and the entire flip of her felt forced and so, so fake. 

I don’t know. I won’t one star this one, because I wasn’t bored out of my mind the entire time like the first two, but I also can’t say that I enjoyed this… at all. 

Shout out here to the most confusing and random Pandora’s Box ending that didn’t fit the story and just served to absolutely stun me.

 

Bound by R. Phillips

1.0

Nothing happened in this book until the last five pages. The entire thing was poor El, back with her rich family, woe is me, which man will I pick. While the men fight each other constantly even though they “love you like a brother” each other. She's spent weeks, literal weeks with each guy, and fancies herself madly in love with them both. 

There's clearly something here that I'm missing because people seem to love this book, and I have no idea why. El is the most annoying fmc I've read in a very long time, and I truly do not like her at all. Her guys are no better with their fake ass macho, I'm better than you are, if you step out of place, I'll beat you up, attitudes. Her “brothers” are boring. 

The “mystery” secrets so far have been flat and boring, and I've been feeling really let down this entire series. 

Modern day Helen of Troy, my ass. 

Shield-maiden: Under the Thunder Moon by Melanie Karsak

5.0

 

This series is really just wonderful.

This might be my favorite installment so far. 

We get to see Hervor come face to face with her grandfather and finally give him the comeuppance that he deserved, and I have just been waiting for this moment since ten pages into book one. It was everything, and I love Hervor all the more for it. And Svafa. This woman is amazing and so flipping badass. I really hope that we get to see more of her and Yrsa’s story come into play now that they’ve moved from Dalr into Bolosmo. 

I also loved seeing Leif and Eydis’ little family bloom. And Hervor and Hofund with their little Blomma. The little sentimental and cute moments in this book are so well placed, and there are just the right amount of them to kind of keep the battles and politics in balance with the lives of all of the characters. 

Seeing everyone flourish in this one was wonderful. Oh, and Hella and her Jarl! Ugh. My heart is just so invested in these books. But I also love the wars and the battle sequences. They’re so well done and keep me on the edge of my seat. I can’t say enough good things, and as always, I can’t wait to get into the next one.

 

Gold by Raven Kennedy

3.0

 

This installment, definitely better than the last, but still not up to par with the first three books in this series. The pacing was just off. I can’t handle how slowly these books are moving along. There’s so much filler that I’m finding it really difficult to wade through and to get to the actual meat of the story. I need more plot, because at this point, the characters aren’t holding down the fort anymore and I am spending WAY too much time bored.

I stand by what I said in my last review. Osrick and Rissa pov’s are unnecessary and add pretty much nothing to this story plot wise. I don’t even understand why they were introduced in the first place. Everything that happens in Osrick’s chapters in this book could have been a conversation that happened in Slade’s pov and it would make pretty close to zero difference. 

The separation of Slade and Auren really didn’t work for me either. We just ended up with both characters pining over each other and being nothing but miserable for the entire book. To be completely honest with you, after the last two books with these characters, I don’t even know if I like them anymore. 

And then there was Malina. I had such high hopes for her as well. And she was also just mopey and cry-ey and woe is me for most of this book. And then even her chapters just turned into a crap love story rather than the badass woman I was hoping for.

Now. NOW. The worst part of all. Fucking Amnesia. I don’t even know if I want to finish this series because of this. This is my hands down, without a doubt, my least favorite (read: most hated) trope. Auren and Slade have been separated for an entire novel out of this series, and now that they're finally going to be reunited, amnesia. Really? Don’t you think that’s a bit of a cop out? I really wanted to focus on the political pieces of the story in the last book. I really wanted to focus on a war with the fae in the last book. I really wanted to focus on Auren and Slade using their bonded powers together in the last book. And instead I’m probably going to spend the first 500 pages annoyed and pissed off with an Amnesia trope and everyone just trying to help poor poor Auren. 

Oh. And Dragons. Let’s introduce Dragons into the series in BOOK FIVE. Suuuure thing. 

I’m annoyed. I don’t even know if this is a 2 star rating, or a 3. 

 

Entangled by R. Phillips

1.0

 

Oh Boy. This review is just a bunch of my random thoughts written down because I can’t be bothered to put them together.

Eleanor is the worst kind of fmc. She's so pick me it bloody hurts. Everything she says is so cringey. I have 3 guy best friends, and no, I won’t give them up for you. I'm not like other girls. I'm pretty and I'm not afraid to tell people so that makes me better than other girls. Man. Oh. Man. 

The guys too though. Surfer boy that works in a bar and lives in a boat. Can you get more cliche than that? Yes. You can. Super secret mercenary that lives on a beach and can’t tell you what he does for a living. 

Insert mobster bad guys for tension, and to prove that stereotypical surfer guy is actually a *bad boy* and had a dark past. Ughhhhh.

There is literally zero substance to this book. I'm just here to figure out what really happened to her parents. 

Also. “I'm going to run away from love and never let myself get close to anyone!” *falls in love with 2 *2!!!* guys instantaneously within a one year time span* 

Give me a break. 

 

Shield-Maiden: Under the Hunter's Moon by Melanie Karsak

5.0

This book had me go through all of the feels. Man. Goosebumps. Tears. (I cried twice!). I smiled and laughed so many times. Hervor’s relationship with Yrsa and Edyis is so heartwarming, and their banter and interactions with each other was phenomenal. All the feels. 

I was just so happy to see Hervor finally loved and accepted and finding her place and I swear my heart grew. 

This book was full of clan wars and (broken) alliances, and of course Norse gods, and it couldn’t get any better. It’s action packed with political aspects and I loved everything about it.