crisp_pages_'s reviews
346 reviews
Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zentner
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
3.5 with a heavy heart- did not land as well as his other works. Jeff Zentner is, and will always be one of my favorite authors, I just feel like this book didn’t hit me like his other works.
This felt more loudly YA.. and almost John green styled ? Like teens.. but also comedic in a way that makes it unrealistic? It may be that as someone no longer a teen it makes this style of storytelling harder to enjoy.
I LOVED the characters, as always the fleshed out dynamics and personality HIT. By far the weakest I’ve read but still good. I found myself enjoying the love interest? Despite not wanting to? This was cute. I don’t foresee myself re-reading it but I would recommend it.
I’m going to re-read serpent king for the hundredth time now…
This felt more loudly YA.. and almost John green styled ? Like teens.. but also comedic in a way that makes it unrealistic? It may be that as someone no longer a teen it makes this style of storytelling harder to enjoy.
I LOVED the characters, as always the fleshed out dynamics and personality HIT. By far the weakest I’ve read but still good. I found myself enjoying the love interest? Despite not wanting to? This was cute. I don’t foresee myself re-reading it but I would recommend it.
I’m going to re-read serpent king for the hundredth time now…
The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan
adventurous
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
It’s hard to critically review my childhood, so I won’t. Find a review with an actual point and good info elsewhere, I’m just clutching this book to my chest with tears in my eyes.
This series and it’s characters mean the world to me. I’m forever going to return to it.
This series and it’s characters mean the world to me. I’m forever going to return to it.
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
4.5
As someone who didn’t really love legends and lattes I LOVED THIS.
Disclaimer: I was provided an audiobook arc by netgally! Thank you netgally.
The author reads his own works in this audiobook and I ALWAYS think that’s the best route. Everything comes across perfectly, 5 stars for narration.
Most of my complaints with legends and lattes was solved in this book. We got more action, no repeating menus, no repeating scenes of discovery and resolution in the coffee shop- this read like a cozy fantasy novel that won’t put you to sleep.
I loved the characters in this one even if they did feel kind of similar to the characters in legends and lattes ( I.e. quiet guy who’s grumpy but helpful, sassy/sarcastic love interest ) I thought the ‘rest and recovery’ plotline was done so well as a prequel and we get to see into the past in a very fun way.
The action was great, the repair of the bookshop didn’t see repetitive, and the romance was super cute. The descriptions were absolutely amazing ( where are my buns. Seriously. How do I get my hands on one of those ) overall, I can see myself picking up more works by this author ( especially the audiobooks ) and will be recommending this book! I may even give legends and lattes another chance?
Disclaimer: I was provided an audiobook arc by netgally! Thank you netgally.
The author reads his own works in this audiobook and I ALWAYS think that’s the best route. Everything comes across perfectly, 5 stars for narration.
Most of my complaints with legends and lattes was solved in this book. We got more action, no repeating menus, no repeating scenes of discovery and resolution in the coffee shop- this read like a cozy fantasy novel that won’t put you to sleep.
I loved the characters in this one even if they did feel kind of similar to the characters in legends and lattes ( I.e. quiet guy who’s grumpy but helpful, sassy/sarcastic love interest ) I thought the ‘rest and recovery’ plotline was done so well as a prequel and we get to see into the past in a very fun way.
The action was great, the repair of the bookshop didn’t see repetitive, and the romance was super cute. The descriptions were absolutely amazing ( where are my buns. Seriously. How do I get my hands on one of those ) overall, I can see myself picking up more works by this author ( especially the audiobooks ) and will be recommending this book! I may even give legends and lattes another chance?
Fifty Feet Down by Sophie Tanen
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
“Make me believe we’ll one day be cast among the stars.”
I picked up this book after seeing a TikTok about dead boys and a lesbian journalist and finished it in TWO SITTINGS.
I want to preface this by saying I’ve maybe read three thrillers in my lifetime and I’m not really the best voice to rate and review them on a ‘thriller’ level, my rating is based on my enjoyment alone.
As someone that grew up in a town just about the size of the one in the novel I instantly connected with the Erie small down secrets and the realistic way of ‘everyone knowing everyone’ and the outsider perspective on that. I think it was a spectacular setting for this story. AND THE QUARRY’s WERE TERRIFYING. I thought the romance was cute and I overall enjoyed all of the characters on some level, though at some points there were just a LOT of names for my mind to handle.
I think the loss of a star for me was maybe the pacing? I felt that 2/4ths in the story was stuck in a loop of a few repeated scenes with the same lack of knowledge and not much else going on and it took a bit to work through until the pacing picked up again.
I enjoyed this debut so much and could very much see myself both recommending this book to others, and looking forward to the authors next work.
I picked up this book after seeing a TikTok about dead boys and a lesbian journalist and finished it in TWO SITTINGS.
I want to preface this by saying I’ve maybe read three thrillers in my lifetime and I’m not really the best voice to rate and review them on a ‘thriller’ level, my rating is based on my enjoyment alone.
As someone that grew up in a town just about the size of the one in the novel I instantly connected with the Erie small down secrets and the realistic way of ‘everyone knowing everyone’ and the outsider perspective on that. I think it was a spectacular setting for this story. AND THE QUARRY’s WERE TERRIFYING. I thought the romance was cute and I overall enjoyed all of the characters on some level, though at some points there were just a LOT of names for my mind to handle.
I think the loss of a star for me was maybe the pacing? I felt that 2/4ths in the story was stuck in a loop of a few repeated scenes with the same lack of knowledge and not much else going on and it took a bit to work through until the pacing picked up again.
I enjoyed this debut so much and could very much see myself both recommending this book to others, and looking forward to the authors next work.
How To Bite Your Neighbor & Win A Wager by D.N. Bryn
slow-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
1.0
I think if I had finished this it would have been a 2 star read, but I’m DNF’ing at 35%.
This book had some potential but the plot felt very ‘make it up as a go’ back and fourth. I found the characters to be a tad annoying and unrealistic. The little date / hangout scene in the beginning made me cringe terribly, it was just…. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Annoying? I purchased this on kindle and I just don’t see myself ever finishing this. I think if you want vampires and can ignore juvenile writing with annoying characters you might enjoy picking this up for more of a ‘fun time not a good time’
This book had some potential but the plot felt very ‘make it up as a go’ back and fourth. I found the characters to be a tad annoying and unrealistic. The little date / hangout scene in the beginning made me cringe terribly, it was just…. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Annoying? I purchased this on kindle and I just don’t see myself ever finishing this. I think if you want vampires and can ignore juvenile writing with annoying characters you might enjoy picking this up for more of a ‘fun time not a good time’
Feathers so Vicious by Liv Zander
challenging
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? It's complicated
3.0
A fun smutty dark fantasy.. but be warned.
Thank you to netgally for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook! I want to say that all three of the. Narrators did an amazing job on this. My only complaint with the audiobook is that It didn’t feature trigger warnings at the beginning, something that I think is super necessary for something as dark as this and I’m hoping the finished audiobook will include it.
The magic in this? So wildly cool- a new spin on shifters with a wet and cold world surrounding it? Amazing. I loved the bird tunnels, the traditions, and the way that different birds had different personalities and features. Both a part of them and separate.
I think what felt the most flat to me was the main character and the politics. I think for a fantasy as long as this with so much ‘movement’ in the world should have some kind of politics to fill out the world. We see no generals, no meetings, the prince just seems to make a decision, tell his buddy and then it happens? That was a bit annoying for me, especially when the prince was making world altering decisions just.. on his own.
The main character just had little going for her, she seemed to have the same thoughts over and over again and was out smarted by everyone around. She starts out being sheltered and knowing nothing but she doesn’t change or grow in 400 pages.
I thought the smut and the ‘sharing and caring’ was great. I loved the good cop/bad cop dynamic, how they were good opposites and all three got fulfillment out of the dynamic. I do however think it’s important to stress the trigger warnings, not only for the smut but the MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF SA.
I think that’s were I had to lower my rating. The ravens are known to r*pe and pillage their way through everything. Most of the characters have past trauma with SA and most of the smut is non-con. It’s a constant presence through the whole of the novel and never seems to get challenged. Even when her mind changes from ‘maybe they aren’t the villains’ she never seems bother by the amount of r*pe their people have done.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, dark romance does not equal SA and R*pe.
Despite this, I could see myself possibly continuing and would recommend this in the future.
Thank you to netgally for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook! I want to say that all three of the. Narrators did an amazing job on this. My only complaint with the audiobook is that It didn’t feature trigger warnings at the beginning, something that I think is super necessary for something as dark as this and I’m hoping the finished audiobook will include it.
The magic in this? So wildly cool- a new spin on shifters with a wet and cold world surrounding it? Amazing. I loved the bird tunnels, the traditions, and the way that different birds had different personalities and features. Both a part of them and separate.
I think what felt the most flat to me was the main character and the politics. I think for a fantasy as long as this with so much ‘movement’ in the world should have some kind of politics to fill out the world. We see no generals, no meetings, the prince just seems to make a decision, tell his buddy and then it happens? That was a bit annoying for me, especially when the prince was making world altering decisions just.. on his own.
The main character just had little going for her, she seemed to have the same thoughts over and over again and was out smarted by everyone around. She starts out being sheltered and knowing nothing but she doesn’t change or grow in 400 pages.
I thought the smut and the ‘sharing and caring’ was great. I loved the good cop/bad cop dynamic, how they were good opposites and all three got fulfillment out of the dynamic. I do however think it’s important to stress the trigger warnings, not only for the smut but the MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF SA.
I think that’s were I had to lower my rating. The ravens are known to r*pe and pillage their way through everything. Most of the characters have past trauma with SA and most of the smut is non-con. It’s a constant presence through the whole of the novel and never seems to get challenged. Even when her mind changes from ‘maybe they aren’t the villains’ she never seems bother by the amount of r*pe their people have done.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, dark romance does not equal SA and R*pe.
Despite this, I could see myself possibly continuing and would recommend this in the future.
A Flame in the Night by Morgan Dante
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
‘It’s not so bad to be devoured.’
This book a peculiar cup of tea that will either be a hit or a miss. If you can survive off the vibes of smoke, bitter coffee and dark chocolate this might be for you.
140 pages of dusk slowly creeping in and the feeling of warm breath on your neck. I wasn’t instantly drawn into this novella, I picked it up on kindle because I was looking for something short and smoky, and while the vibes are there, without reading the description I was a bit lost to what ‘the point’ of it was meant to be.
Vampire lover, that is the only point. The pacing is a bit weird and the positioning of the smut scenes is also a bit jarring but I wasn’t here for a perfect time, I was here for a good time. The writing style was a bit harder to get into than I originally anticipated but once used to it I was able to enjoy the lilting tone that felt just a tad drunk.
I find the love between Claire and Leon to be the love between old lovers who have become best friends, it’s soft, it’s caring, but it’s not the hot new fire of love that one might expect from some romantic erotica. I enjoyed it SO MUCH. I thought it was well done and lovely, however- the chemistry with Matthias seemed to be a bit lacking for me. I think I wanted more of a presence from him. In the beginning he was a bystander, and later he felt like more of a father figure?
I feel like I will be returning to this author and I could see myself recommending this novella in the future.
This book a peculiar cup of tea that will either be a hit or a miss. If you can survive off the vibes of smoke, bitter coffee and dark chocolate this might be for you.
140 pages of dusk slowly creeping in and the feeling of warm breath on your neck. I wasn’t instantly drawn into this novella, I picked it up on kindle because I was looking for something short and smoky, and while the vibes are there, without reading the description I was a bit lost to what ‘the point’ of it was meant to be.
Vampire lover, that is the only point. The pacing is a bit weird and the positioning of the smut scenes is also a bit jarring but I wasn’t here for a perfect time, I was here for a good time. The writing style was a bit harder to get into than I originally anticipated but once used to it I was able to enjoy the lilting tone that felt just a tad drunk.
I find the love between Claire and Leon to be the love between old lovers who have become best friends, it’s soft, it’s caring, but it’s not the hot new fire of love that one might expect from some romantic erotica. I enjoyed it SO MUCH. I thought it was well done and lovely, however- the chemistry with Matthias seemed to be a bit lacking for me. I think I wanted more of a presence from him. In the beginning he was a bystander, and later he felt like more of a father figure?
I feel like I will be returning to this author and I could see myself recommending this novella in the future.
Wolf, Willow, Witch by Freydís Moon
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
“What a sad, sorry things to watch a murder take place and expect an absent god to intervene.”
My most anticipated release of fall 2023 and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT. This book is exactly as described- real and haunting, full of ALL THE VIBES. Amazing imagery and haunting prose. Let it be said that I SUPPORT POWER HUNGRY WOMEN ! And that is Tehlor to a T.
To get it out of the way, there were two things that I disliked about this novel but it wasn’t enough for me to rate it anything less than 5 stars. I always feel that there is a disconnect from the first 30 pages to the rest of the novel where chemistry / plot revs up so fast it can be jarring. Is this me whining about wanting more words? Yes. I want more, more chapters, pages and books ( but I’m also just a greedy rat ) the other was some grating pop culture things that pulled me out of the novel like UwU and tucker Carlson references, I think these things will date very quickly and they just pulled me out of the story at some points.
Back to my raving review-
I LOVED THIS SO MUCH. It was all I could do to not devour this in a single sitting. As it was- I read the entire book before my buddy read buddy had even picked it up because I couldn’t wait. I will forever recommend this author, but I think this series is one of their best works.
I don’t expect going into a novella to get enough action and this twisted everything I thought I knew. Maybe it’s the trauma background I have with religion but this book was HORRIFYING. Religion is so suffocating, reading from Tehlors perspective made my skin absolutely crawl multiple times while reading. Beauty and horror in perfect balance. I WANT MORE. I can see myself recommending and returning to these books over and over again.
My most anticipated release of fall 2023 and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT. This book is exactly as described- real and haunting, full of ALL THE VIBES. Amazing imagery and haunting prose. Let it be said that I SUPPORT POWER HUNGRY WOMEN ! And that is Tehlor to a T.
To get it out of the way, there were two things that I disliked about this novel but it wasn’t enough for me to rate it anything less than 5 stars. I always feel that there is a disconnect from the first 30 pages to the rest of the novel where chemistry / plot revs up so fast it can be jarring. Is this me whining about wanting more words? Yes. I want more, more chapters, pages and books ( but I’m also just a greedy rat ) the other was some grating pop culture things that pulled me out of the novel like UwU and tucker Carlson references, I think these things will date very quickly and they just pulled me out of the story at some points.
Back to my raving review-
I LOVED THIS SO MUCH. It was all I could do to not devour this in a single sitting. As it was- I read the entire book before my buddy read buddy had even picked it up because I couldn’t wait. I will forever recommend this author, but I think this series is one of their best works.
I don’t expect going into a novella to get enough action and this twisted everything I thought I knew. Maybe it’s the trauma background I have with religion but this book was HORRIFYING. Religion is so suffocating, reading from Tehlors perspective made my skin absolutely crawl multiple times while reading. Beauty and horror in perfect balance. I WANT MORE. I can see myself recommending and returning to these books over and over again.
Ravensong by TJ Klune
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
My favorite grumpy protagonist.
TJ Klune has a distinct writing style that will make or break you, and I respect that, however HOW CAN YOU NOT FALL IN LOVE. The found family?? The grumpy main character? I love everything about this series and Ravensong is my favorite.
I refuse to overlook some of the weird instances in this just because it’s ‘omega verse things’ like family nudity and also wild amounts of minor specialization, I see these as flaws even if they are explained away by the genre and I think it’s an important thing to note.
Overall, this re-read boosted my 4 star rating to a 5, I respect to return again and again to this series, but also this book specifically.
TJ Klune has a distinct writing style that will make or break you, and I respect that, however HOW CAN YOU NOT FALL IN LOVE. The found family?? The grumpy main character? I love everything about this series and Ravensong is my favorite.
I refuse to overlook some of the weird instances in this just because it’s ‘omega verse things’ like family nudity and also wild amounts of minor specialization, I see these as flaws even if they are explained away by the genre and I think it’s an important thing to note.
Overall, this re-read boosted my 4 star rating to a 5, I respect to return again and again to this series, but also this book specifically.
The Perfect Rake by Anne Gracie
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
DNF at 50%
I picked this up on audible for free as part of my membership and was severely disappointed. I was looking for something cute/entertaining but this was just.. annoying? And the plotting was something like a toddler trying to tell a story, jumping back and fourth.
The humor in this is just BARELY above fart jokes, and the same phrases are used repeatedly. I also HATED that you couldn’t go a whole page without someone pointing out how ugly or plain the main character was. I hate this as a minor trope but this idea was crammed down our throat so aggressively I couldn’t ignore it.
Overall, wouldn’t recommend.
I picked this up on audible for free as part of my membership and was severely disappointed. I was looking for something cute/entertaining but this was just.. annoying? And the plotting was something like a toddler trying to tell a story, jumping back and fourth.
The humor in this is just BARELY above fart jokes, and the same phrases are used repeatedly. I also HATED that you couldn’t go a whole page without someone pointing out how ugly or plain the main character was. I hate this as a minor trope but this idea was crammed down our throat so aggressively I couldn’t ignore it.
Overall, wouldn’t recommend.