galaxiesofbooks's reviews
118 reviews

The Dare by Harley Laroux

dark fast-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

this was my first book by Harley Laroux and it was a bit of a miss for me. i didn’t read many BDSM books, so i thought to go through with it and see if i like it. turned out, i didn’t. i just don’t like men degrading women like that even if the woman ends up liking it.

the characters weren’t developed to the fullest. i feel like we only got the surface level of who they were. i have to really be invested in the characters to be able to enjoy a good romance book and this sadly didn’t deliver on that aspect.

the 3 clown guys also read like one and the same person. they talked the same and even used the same nickname. they weren’t distinctive at all regarding their personalities.

the writing style also was really repetitive and prevented me from properly engaging with the story. it just didn’t grip me… i feel like the shortness of this book was really good though, because if it was longer, i would’ve most likely dnfed it.

regarding the plot, it took agessss for things to actually get spicy, to the point where i kept saying aloud for the story to just get on with it lol. and even when the spicy scenes came up, they were all the things i hated. they didn’t satisfy me at all nor did i find myself rooting for the characters. overall, i just don’t think this book was for me cos i’m not into that type of kink. 😂 

Shiver by Junji Ito

dark mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

this was my first time reading Junji Ito book and it certainly won’t be the last! wow, this author definitely has a unique imagination.

there were 10 stories overall (including the bonus story) and each one of them completely different. i cannot stress enough about how talented Ito is! to come up with these type of stories you definitely need a lot of creativity.

a couple of stories weren’t my favourite, but all the rest were really good and engaging. my personal favourites were: The Long Dream, Honored Ancestors and Greased Oil. my close favourite, which i gave 4.5 stars to, was Shiver. i couldn’t imagine going through all that irl. 😬

the artwork was also really well done, no complaints there. the author really put effort into making the characters seem vivid.

seriously, if you love manga, especially horror manga, this is one you HAVE to pick up. i promise you’ll find a favourite story in here!

Shotgun Nun: An Extreme Horror Novella by Harrison Phillips, Harrison Phillips

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

this was my first book by this author and it was fine. the title pretty much sums it up: a badass nun seeking for revenge.

the characters weren’t that well developed, but i guess it was to be expected since it’s a short novella. i just thought the nun could’ve had way more character in her.

the bad guys also were sometimes cringe, but i loved seeing them squirm lol.

the writing style was simple and really easy to follow. i was flying through the chapters. i think this book would be perfect for those who’d like to try reading some extreme horror. this doesn’t read like it really, but still is a bit gory.

when it comes to the plot, i loved seeing Eloise take her revenge and didn’t expect *that person* to encourage her to do all that lol. that part left me underwhelmed a bit. i thought this book was gonna be crazier than that, but it was still entertaining! if you want a quick read with a bit of gore, this one would be worth checking out. obviously check the trigger warnings first.

The Nesting by C.J. Cooke

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

this was my first book by this author and certainly wouldn’t be the last!

the characters were developed so brilliantly and distinctly, each of them with their own problems and quirks. my favourite characters were definitely Lexi and Gaia. their relationship was everything and truly heartwarming. 🥺 i feel like this book would be a perfect read for those who enjoy character driven books rather than plot itself.

the writing was really captivating. it managed to grip you and not let go! the topics that this book was covering were really hard-hitting at times and the author’s writing really managed to make you feel for the characters and cheer them on throughout the story.

now, the plot was really interesting. i love the idea of this Sad Lady the most! it was creepy and ngl i’m scared to go to the kitchen now. 😂

however, i didn’t really feel the need for the diary to be in the story nor Ingrid’s character. they both didn’t really give anything to the story itself.

then we had this pit scene happen (i won’t spoil it) and i still haven’t got an answer to this question. i thought at the end it’d be revealed, but it just went on without explaining what that was about.

anyway, i did love the myth mentioned in this book and how it affected each of the characters’ lives, how it slowly possessed them.

i recommend reading this book, especially now since it’s nearly halloween, but make sure to check trigger warnings first!

Burn for Jack by Aiden Pierce

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

3.5

i stepped a bit out of my comfort zone and tried reading this monster smut novella since it was so short and i enjoyed it!

i really found myself rooting for Ada and Jack! they were the definition of “meant to be” lol. it’s safe to say i absolutely disliked Lucas and the whole group who got Ada to the pumpkin patch where it all took place. they were all such bullies, but i loved how Ada handled herself. she never let them get under her skin and actually stood up for herself.

also Jack’s devotion to Ada was EVERYTHINGGG.

the writing was absolutely beautiful at some parts. it was a smut book, but it wasn’t, like, written in a filthy way. it was more lyrical? if that makes any sense. 😂 

the plot was also really well done. it wasn’t only sex on the pages, but we actually got this story/legend going on about the mysterious Jack Calloway that was haunting the pumpkin patch, waiting for his his lover to return. it was witchy, halloween-y, demonic, sexy and everything it needed to be. however, the reason why i didn’t give it 5 stars was the vines… idk maybe it’s just me, but it just rubs me the wrong way imagining it lmaoo.

this wasn’t my all time favourite, but it was definitely entertaining and a fun book to read during this creepy season! 🎃

Scream For Us by Molly Doyle

adventurous dark fast-paced

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

4.0

this is a reverse harem smut novella that i decided to pick up after this girl recommended it on youtube reading sprints and omggg was it smutty and entertaining. 😂

we had 3 masked (for halloween) men: Ghost, Jason and Michael and then this girl Quinn. i don’t blame her for fancying Ghost the most cos that mask is definitely my favourite out of all 3 of them as well lmaoo.

what i liked about these guys was that they weren’t forcing Quinn to do anything she didn’t wanna do. they made sure first that it was all with Quinn’s consent.

they were also really damn protective over her, which i sometimes did find a bit cringe.

in any case, ghost mask, leather gloves and motorcycle’s helmet really awakened something else in me LOL.

the writing style was simplistic, easy to understand and follow. the chapters were also really short so it was easy to finish it quickly and i more than appreciated it!

the plot… i don’t know if i need to explain more when i say it’s 3 guys x 1 girl. 😂 that night was supposed to be the only night Quinn felt reckless and trying things with them, but they agreed that the next morning they’d separate.

it was steamyyyyy. if you need a quick smut novella to sometimes make you feel hot, don’t hesitate to pick it up. it was by no means a perfect book, but it was really entertaining and i recommend checking it out if that’s something you’d be interested in reading!

The Night Sun by Zin E. Rocklyn

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

2.0

this was my first book by this author and i have a little bit of mixed emotions about this one.

the characters weren’t that well developed, but i didn’t really expect them to be since this book was so extremely short, but i was a tad bit invested in Avery’s and Jonas’s marriage problems. especially in the end, when revenge took place. however, i don’t think any of these characters were my favourite and i didn’t really end up connecting with them on a deeper level either.

the writing style wasn’t too good. there were a lot of typos and i was confused a lot of the time about what was going on. it didn’t say in a straightforward matter about what was happening sometimes and, not gonna lie, i was a bit frustrated about that since i wanted it to get to the point and not beat around the bush with menacing words.

i loved the concept of “the night sun,” it was so beautiful and touching for some reason! anyway, i don’t really know what was the actual point of the slaves being mentioned in this book or maybe i’m just too stupid to understand, because i didn’t think it was relevant to the revenge itself. the revenge was the main focus of the book at the end, and perhaps family being brought together.

i have so many unanswered questions.

i also didn’t see the point of those deers either? other than them being used as this horror thing for the story, but it just made it confusing as hell. 

literally don’t ask me what this book was about, i understood maybe a couple things that happened. 😂 it was weird.

i really liked the ending though, hence that rating. that shit was definitely satisfying!

Wonderland by Jennifer Hillier

dark mysterious 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

2.0

i’ve only read “things we do in the dark” by jennifer hillier, which was a dnf, and this one was better, but still not my favourite.

firstly, there were a lot of characters involved, which i appreciated, cos it’s always harder to guess who’s behind the deed when there are a lot of people involved, but some of the characters were sooo icky… i also didn’t really connect with any of them apart from Blake. Bianca was one of the worst manipulators ever, Oscar was a creep sometimes and what was the point of this janitor Carlos being in the book? anyway, my favourite character was probably Blake.

the writing style also wasn’t one of the best ones. we followed multiple POVs and most of them i didn’t care about. i especially felt bored reading Vanessa’s chapters, i was just waiting to get to Blake’s or Ava’s POV. maybe because i don’t really like reading from police officers’ or detectives’ POVs.

going into this book, i expected it to involve actual horror, maybe even something paranormal, but this was nothing i expected it to be.

there was a lot of romance involved and i mean A LOT and in a really disgusting way. this book was mainly not about the park itself and the horror, but more so sex.

there were also so many holes in the plot, so many questions unanswered and everyone just seemed to be involved sexually with each other. i rolled my eyes many times lol.

i didn’t guess the main killer, but i also was underwhelmed when i found out and i also guessed the Homeless Harry plot twist. it was all a bit unsatisfying.

i just wanted more out of this book. more atmosphere, more horror and less sex. i still have to find this perfect theme park book 👀

The Porn Star's Daughter by Kay Stephens
Did not finish book. Stopped at 43%.

yes, i picked this book up because of its title lmaoo. i thought it was gonna be a fun read, but… it’s just not for me. this is also the author’s first book. i’m still willing to pick up her future books, but i’ll be more selective about it. this type of romances aren’t really my thing.

the characters were your typical college people. Coventry was depicted as this slutty girl who wanted nothing to do with classes and everything to do with sex and drugs. i don’t think irl that’d continue to happen lol. for the whole 43% of the book, she didn’t attend ANY classes, was treating people like shit and tryna act edgy all the damn time. then we had Tali, who was tryna hide the fact that her mum was a porn star, but she herself let everyone know that in certain ways. i found none of them likable, they were all immature and childish in their own ways.

the writing style was reminding me of any YA book you can think of. it wasn’t anything special. we got the POV of Tali and James sometimes, none of which really were interesting enough to follow.

and the plot… it was sooo YA-like and if you know me, you know that i’m honestly not into YA books or that type of stories at all. it was cheesy and it was more a book about day to day life at college and not the proper difficulties of being a porn star’s daughter. i was bored reading about this melodrama between Tali and James, Coventry’s behaviour which Tali was always complaining about but done nothing to stop it and then Lane and Brock being worried for her unnecessarily. it was all just cheesy for me, personally, and i couldn’t continue reading it anymore. i just wasn’t interested enough anymore. anyway, i wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone above age 17. everyone below that age may or may not enjoy it lol.

Drowning by T.J. Newman

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

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

3.5

in my opinion, this book was definitely better than the first one called Falling. i’ll keep T.J. Newman on my radar for sure. 👀 i also still stand by the fact that these 2 books would be absolutely phenomenal as movies!

the characters were fine, i mean they were obviously going through a lot and i felt for them completely throughout the book, but there were so many characters introduced at first, that, in the long run, i didn’t manage to properly attach to each one of them. however, i will say that Kit and Chris were my favourite characters! their dedication was truly remarkable.

when it comes to the writing style, it was really fast paced and managed to grip you until the very last page. some things about the water pressure and how the things worked did go over my head a little, but it was well written regardless. we also changed POVs constantly to see the situation from all angles, which i definitely appreciated!

the plot was good, i can’t imagine that happening in real life to me, i’d pass out instantly. 😂however, something is missing for me for this book to be a 5 star read. even whilst reading this book from the beginning, i already knew how it was gonna end the moment Chris stood up in front of Larson and Fitz and it was kinda disappointing that my suspicions came true, i was hoping for some unique ending, but anyway. it still ended in a beautiful way and would recommend reading this.