starglitters's reviews
79 reviews

Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Truly, Madly, Deeply by Alexandria Bellefleur

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

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The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch

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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

5.0

tldr; fantastic book. Enjoy this a lot. Love the characters, the relationship, and the sex. Left me feeling… somewhat hopeful and optimistic about the future.

Ultimately, I really like this book because I truly enjoy it as a Romance. By no mean is this book perfect, yet, any of the flaws pale in comparison to the absolute joy this book brought me.

—

Rom-com has always been a hit and miss for me. More of a miss than a hit, to be honest, and there have been moments that I contemplate giving up on the genre altogether. But I am so, so grateful I have this book a chance, for this book is a fucking excellent read and I enjoy every single second of it.

1. Mr. Nicholas “Coal” Claus, the man that you are…! Truly one of the best MCs I’ve read this year. Love his particular brand of loverboy-ism that leads him to treating Hex in a worship-y way that borderlines sacrilegious.

Hex laughs.

Someone help me, please, because this guy makes me want to learn hymns but only recite them if I’m moaning and I think that might be sacrilege, but I’m okay with damnation if he’s the reason, I just want to know for sure which way is up.

I dump us to our sides on the couch.

“Just let me kiss you for a little while,” I tell him, that low murmur like I’m worshipping at some altar.

Every moment of touching him has left me rattled like I don’t know what I’m doing, but no one else mattered before him, no one else could have prepared me for him. There is power, such power inherent in desire, and in this moment, I’m playing out the creation of a whole new origin story with him. It’s so easy to create gods or monuments of importance or cruxes of joy, and I’ve done that for him now, I am his most fervent steward.

The way he describes his feelings, his needs, and his desires towards Hex scratches the right itches in my brain. And the fact that he is like this™️ despite the contemporary setting? This is how men SHOULD yearn. Sorry to the MC & ML of my next read, the bar set is not an easy one to pass.

2. Thoroughly enjoy the romance and the relationship dynamics between the main couple. Honestly, I cannot think of a way to really describe why exactly I enjoy them. Similar to many other rom-com couple, they are sweet and wholesome. Yet… they are not so saccharinely sweet that it feels bland, if that makes sense. There’s something that cause them to hold such a strong grip of my brain.

Not to mention, it often felt like the author had somehow found a way to target everything I like in a romance.🧍‍♂️There was a moment where I thought, man, Coal should lift Hex up, lol. And he did, literally a few paragraphs later. Let me tell you… I was gagged. 🧍‍♂️

“But, fuck, sweetheart”—I drag my hand up his bare arm, watching goose bumps trail my fingers—“the moment I become fluent in your shivers, it’s gonna be meteoric.”

I will never in my life be given a greater honor than the way he painstakingly chooses his response for me.

“I love you too,” he says.

I kiss him again, a clumsy layering over of our smiles, and we’re laughing and this, here, is my victory. He is my spoil of war, the most vital piece in my new-forming foundation.

Also! Hex saying, “If you need to make a joke, I'd be happy to give you some kind of setup.”? As a fellow Joker™️, this is the most romantic thing someone has ever said in a book.

And maybe that is it. Maybe the reason why I’m so deeply enthralled by this book is because I simply enjoy the Romance between the two of them, that it negates any other complaints I may have.

3. The author’s sex scene writing skill is fucking incredible. The reason why the last chapter’s sex scene was fade to black is because it would have ENDED lives had it been explicit. 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

4. A lot of reviews pointed out that this is not a typical rom-com due to the political intrigue element. But, guys… the political intrigue is minimal. The political intrigue not as relevant as the family drama, which I felt is the main conflict to the plot. And, yeah, I will admit—the political intrigue is not all that intriguing. It was resolved quite easily, too.

They did not even ONCE consider murder. Killing the dad would have fixed quite a lot of the dilemmas they were in. Yeah it’s a modern setting and they love their dad, but hey, a real political intrigue would have murder on the table.

It may be a little more plot-y than a typical rom-com would be, it’s not too heavy or too dark that it undermines the cozy holiday romance theme this book has going on.

5. Audiobook narrator (Ellis Evans) did one hell of a job. Really enjoyed his narration.

6. On a more personal level… to see Coal grows and changes means a lot to me. I found myself and Coal to be somewhat similar—disaster bisexual with self-worth issue who’s hiding it behind hihi and haha. (Granted, he has the charisma and confidence to pull it better than me, which I really envy, but I digress.) There is something so… comforting about seeing someone you can see yourself in being able to better himself. In a way… It gives me hope? Comfort? To witness that possibility, to witness him being able to find his way.

Coal’s journey is best simplified by this one line in a book: Maybe one fuckup didn’t have to define the rest of my life like I let it. And I… just really need to hear it right now.

So I’ll keep going. And going. And I’ll learn and do better and sometimes I’ll hate myself for not giving up and I’ll rage at the shit around me but I remember what it’s like to look at the world with uncomplicated hope and I can’t stop until I get that back. What’s the alternative?

It just takes one joyful moment. One by one by one.

I’m relying on that. I’m counting on joy to be stronger than whatever’s waiting for me.

I read this part when I was feeling particularly down… and I might have cried, lol. Other times, the more cynical and pessimistic part of me might just scoff at it… but… I dunno. I guess, this books has a way of offering you optimism that is hard to completely shut down.

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Prince of Agony by Tavia Lark

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emotional funny fast-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

4.5

Enjoyed this tremendously.

A strong reason for it is because of how charmed I am by Kazia. There is something about Kazia that reminds me of a cat—when he raised his claws and hisses, it’s adorable, and when he gets vulnerable, it’s adorable.

Love the relationship between the two main characters. Though it does feel like the romance between them progresses quickly, they are still very sweet. Truly a pair made for one another.

Overall, it was charming and sweet and hilarious at times. Can’t wait to read other works by Tavia Lark.

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