lsol8tion's reviews
10 reviews

Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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

5.0

TOMI ADEYEMI GOIN 2 FOR 2! This book gave me so much stress & anxiety but I couldn't put it down! AMARI...GIRLLLL you fucked up BADDDDD. Like there's not coming back from what you've done.

Forcing your way into being a Connector elder, leading Inan to the sanctuary, SACRFICING ZÉLIE & HER VILLAGE

ALL FOR THAT STUPID THRONE??? ARE YOU DAFT?? Inan...I still don't like you but you weren't eggregiously terrible like in Book 1. QUEEN NEHANDA YOU SKIN- BLEACHED BITCHHHHHHHHHHH

YOU'RE THE REASON THE MAJI ARE OPRESSED IN THIS CURRENT ERA?? YOU KILLED SARAN'S FATHER??? I HOPE YOU'RE DEAD

I just want Zélie & Tzain to catch a break maneeee. They been through so much. Röem...I don't feel anything for him tbh. I just don't want Zélie's heart broken again so I'm keeping him at arm's length. Tzain's realization about

Amari's plan to sacrifice Zélie was so well-written! I could feel the pain in his voice!

That's how you know an author's perfecting their craft. When you can feel the emotions of characters through words.

I can't wait to read Book 3!!

Content Warnings

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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

4.75

I wanna take a deep dive into tomi adeyemi's mind to experience her process of how she created this immersive world, society caste system, and magic system. To incorporate youruba mythology into each of them , & so amazingly too??? WOW.

Reading Zelie's POV chapters & seeing her internal war holding such a huge responisbility of restoring magic in Orisha was so engrossing but also frustrating at times when she makes bad decisions, such as

her falling for Inan

. However, I think her decisions are aslo reflective of how young she is. She's only 17 & being tasked by the gods to restore magic is an INSANE responsibility.

AND LEMME GET INAN REAL QUICK. I understand he felt a familial pressure to put "duty before self" and "protect" Orisha as its future king but he shoulda known

his daddy was NAWT gon spare him when he found out about his Connector powers. Your dad is Saran, the brutal king who regularly had you & your sister fight & injure each other with real weapons & KILLS maji without a second thought. Once Saran ordered Inan to kill Amari if he found her whike Zelie was in captivity, then Inan shoulda realized that his father is mercilies & doesn't give a fuck about family. Inan shoulda tkaen the chance to run with Tzain, & Amari when they fled the fortress after saving Zelie. BUT WHAT DID INAN DO? STAYED BY HIS FATHER'S SIDE LIKE A BITCH, CONTINUOUSLY DEFEND THE OPPRESSIVE SYSTEM HIS FATHER CREATED, & TEAR THE SCROLL THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE USED TO BRING MAGIC BACK. I don't feel bad that Inan was killed by his father because there were so many instance that Saran showed his ruthlessness & Inan thought he would be the only exception. GOOD RIDDANCE HOE

Now Amari's a girl who STANDS ON BUSINESS. She saw

her father kill Binta & immediately sprung into action. She had the balls to go against her father's wishes (something bitch-ass Inan couldn't do).

However, she's also a princess who's unlearning her biases and imdoctrination. I hope she continues her deconstructing journey & untimately find a way end maji oprression in a way that doesn't include her famiky staying in power. Honestly I don't think the maji of Orisha will feel comfortable with another person from the same royal line who was responsible for the Raids. ALSO

SHE GOT POWERS NOW??

I hope we see more Tzain development in book 2. I would love to read flashbacks of him and Zelie's childhood from his perspective. He's Zelie's brother and protector, and Amari's potential boo thang, but what else?

That cliffhanger was DIABOLICAL OMG??? I can't wait to read more!

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I Accidentally Summoned a Demon Boyfriend by Jessica Cage

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adventurous funny medium-paced

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

4.25

Summoning a demon cuz you're tired of the men on earth playin with your time is understandable but immediately jumping his bones & having him blow your back out right after he appears is crazy work & i LIKE it!

This book was surprisingly plot-heavy, which I love. I also LOVE that Rayna's a female MC in her 30s! That's rare to see especially in fantasy romance. Rayna goes through a lot of psychological challenges in this book, working through what's real and not real,

which awakens her psychic abilities.

Metice & Rayna's relationship development was cute. Metice is a MAN. Washing, detangling, and twisting her hair after sex?? There's nothing sexier than a person who's love language is acts of service. Jessica Cage is an author I've had on my radar for a few years now, and some of her books are on my ever-growing TBR. However, "I Accidentally Summoned a Demon Boyfriend" is my introductory novel from Jessica Cage & I can't wait to read more of her work.

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Not So Kind Regards by Clio Evans

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lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.25

This book was a fun time! It's more 80% smut, 20% plot & that's ok with me. Inferna, Art, & Calen's dynamic is to DIE FOR! I LOVE seeing dominant femme characters, and them maintaining that energy in the bedroom too! AND I love seeing dominant men submit.

I wished the relationship development was drawn out more instead of everyone soul-bonding to each other after a day of fucking but hey. For the plot that's there, the set up is a bit flimsy but it's the first book so there's room for improvement & development :)

Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana

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medium-paced

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

4.0

I enjoyed this book a lot! For being the 1st book of a fantasy series, Lore of the Wilds waste no time getting into the action! The plot kicks off as soon as Chapter 2 starts. The world-building is placed throughout the story instead of being packed into the first few chapters, which I like. It helps that the audience is learning about fae society WITH Lore. I appreciate high fantasy books with magic systems, environments, and social dynamics that aren't too complicated to understand. The story didn't feel dragged out either (about 350 pages). I usually a few books at the same time, but I stayed committed to this book cuz I couldn't put it down!

I heard that this series will be a duology, and I'm not sure how I feel about that considering the fact that I think the fae wrold could be expanded on more especially with the threats of war at hand between the races of fae, and the humans needing to liberate themselves from oppression. Considering how Book 1 ended, Lore's gonna ne spending some time away from the citizens of Duskmere, so how can she teach them magic (her magic style is still unclear so I hope Book 2 will elaborate on that) and help strategize a revolution against the fae? I just don't think these huge conflicts can be efficiently resolved in Book 2, especially if it has the same amount of pages as Book 1 (I could always be proven wrong). I kinda hope the series will be expanded into a trilogy.

However, that plot-twist about

Asher being Lord Syrelle in disguise GAGGED me!!!

I had to close out my reading app & walk a few laps around my room! And that cliffhanger was absolutely illegal! Best believe I'm seated for book 2, and I'm excited to read more of Analeigh Sbrana's work.

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Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

THIS BOOK HAD ME GAGGED FROM START TO FINISH!!! I couldn't put it downnnn like omg. Its dark, tense, and suspenseful nature will gove you a hell of an experience!

Their Vicious Games took "EAT THE RICH" to a whole new level! What blows my mind about this is that the contestants of the Finish are all financially well off (except Adina). They're in the top 5% of the global economy, but they're all willing to KILL for a boy's attention because his family is one of the most powerful billionaire emlores in the world. It's crazy how people are never satisfied, no matter how rich they are.

Adina's better than me cuz I woulda kms if I was in her shoes, Yale be damned. I wholeheartedly believe that her and Saint

woulda never survived without each other. BUT GIVE IT UP FOR OUR FINAL GIRLS IKDR!

The death game trope has been done before, but Joelle Wellington's top-notch writing is what made this book an entirely new, cliche-free experience for me. I could FEEL the madness, anguish, grief, and desperation that all of the girl were expressing throughout the entire Finish.

One thing I also appreciate is that Adina

has no romantic endgame. Although the Finish was for his favor, I thought Pierce really wanted to change the nature of the Finish for the better (in his own blind, paradoxical way), but we all find our that he just wanted to alter it in favor of his rags-to-riches fantasy involving Adina. But GRAHAM?? I wasn't liking Adina's lil attraction to Graham, and I'm happy she laughed in his face when he said that he loved her. Bringing his faults of him being a coward and being complicit in his family's fucked up tradition to the forefront at the end of the book is an amazing choice by Wellington. His self-proclaimed black sheep, "woe is me" self-pity attitude was so annoying.

This book is truly worth my 5 star rating. GIVE MS WELLINGTON HER 10S!

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The Duchess Effect by Tracey Livesay

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informative lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.25

I was kind of excited for this book because I enjoyed American Royalty. However, the Dutchess Effect didn't live up to my expectations. What I can appreciate is that Tracey Livesay gave us more of a romanticized fairy tale love story in American Royalty, but its sequel really shows that there's a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to the British Monarchy. Dani realizes that fact very quickly, especially when she's being peraded like a show pony by the Company. Although she did initially agree to doing royal activities with Jameson because of a huge investment deal with Mela-Skin, a certain state banquet event is her breaking point, and I eas worried that Dani would endorse something that's vile. Like seriously, I understsnd wanting to take your self-made brand to the next level, but

supporting COLONIZATION?

Dani had me scared for a second.

Both Dani and Jameson come to a crossroads of their realationship when the trauma they experienced in the wake of their respective loved ones spur them to react to conflict in different ways, especially considering their different socio-economic backgrounds. However, I feel like both of them coming to this realization was a bit rushed. I do love that they

both made the decision to start therapy

. I love seeing healthy relationship building in romance books.

Also there's an unresolved conflicts that I wished was addressed before the story ended. Dani's former manager was talking shit about her and her relationship on radio shows, and even going as far as to

pressure hip-hop award shows to disinvite Dani as both a presenter and performer

. He was fuckin up her bag and trying to alientate her from the community, and yet she never comfronts him? Not even in the epilouge? A Black man tryna tear down a Black woman and fuck up her reputation, and she didn't get to directly defend herself? Unserved justice in my opinion.

Lastly,

Jameson's proposal was too quick in my opinion. Him and Dani love each other deeply, but it's only been, like what, a few months since they started dating? MAYBE a year? And they just resolved such a huge conflict in relationship dynamic?

Like damn, let's slow down a bit.

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Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

I'm a huge fan of fantasy books about generational magic systems (as long as they're) written well. And lemme tell you, Blood Debts is AMAZINGLY WRITTEN! An entire magic system being based on the Sun and the Moon as the sources of power is isn't a new concept, but Terry J. Benton-Walker's uniaue interpretation invloving the Gen and White mages is soooo unique. New Orleans being the setting of the story and its magic history ties it all together.

Clement, Cristina, and the rest of the Dupart-Trudeau family have been thorugh so much, and they're put the WRINGER in this book like omg?? I teared up when

Yves gpt shot defending Clement. Clement deserves to find his true love and he JUST started finding that in Yves & it's so tragic that he had to resort to necromancy & attempt to bring Yves back to life.

I love the themes of history repeating itself in the parallels between Marie & Lenora and Cristina & Valentina is the main example, but Jean-Louise & Auguste and Clement & Yves both share a tragic love storyline that I hope can get a happy ending in book 2.

I NEED ZACH AND HIS BITCHASS DADDY TO GET WHAT'S COMING TO THEM ISTG

That cliffhanger was CRIMINAL! I'm definitely tuning into book 2 :)

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Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-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

4.25

Celine is an intelligent, tiktok-famous girl who tends to hide her emotions, and Bradley is a high-achieving jock with an easygoing attitude.

Both Brad and Celine had major conflicts throughout the story. Celine with

her deadbeat father being a slonsor for the BEP expedition

and Brad grapples with

a choice between a passion for writing and the expectation of his parents for him to study law

. These conflicts do get solved at the end o the book, but the character development Brad & Celine had to go through to solve them was very well written.

I really enjoyed the pipeline of Brad & Celine's relationship. Childhood friends to Academic rivals to Lovers! and for it to be written so WELL?? Talia Hibbert is a gift to the book world. She never disappoints.

The Grim Reaper's Lawyer by Mea Monique

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.75

Although the writing isn't as polished as I would like it to be, it was a fun read. There wasn't much character development but Joyce & Aiden's love story was cute.

I like the corparate setting of the afterlife system and how heaven and hell both have departments. Repaers aren't really confined to Hell but Heaven has reapers too. I also like how Hell was tiers ranging on what horrible deeds people did in their lives, instead of having mass murders being grouped together with people who stole a candy bar.

Joyce is a confident MC who takes shit from no one, and that's what I love about her. After dying unfairly, she made the most of her situation in being Aiden's lawyer and

even representing other reapers in court.

Aiden is a grumpy grim reaper with a stick in his ass. He takes a bit to warm up to Joyce, but when he eventually did, he was so cute. And he a freak in bed.

I gotta say,

when Director Taevian was tevealed to be Joyce's father, I was GAGGED!

. The courtroom scenes had me on the edge of my seat!

- A problem I have with the plot is:

I do wish that Director Young's reveal as the main antagonist held more suspense. The reveal of Joey's plan to sabaotage Aiden was more inteicate, and Joey was a just a pawn in Director Young's plan. We were briefly introduced to Director Young in the middle of the book, and it wasn't enough content for the reader to form some kind of attachment to her. She felt like a background character. When her reveal happened, I wasn't like "WOAH?" or "HOLY SHIT?", I was just like "Oh. Well Okay".

But BEST BELIEVE i'll be seated for book 2!

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lsol8tion's reviews 10 reviews

lsol8tion's reviews
10 reviews