whatsonkatsbookshelf's reviews
130 reviews

An Encore of Roses by S.T. Gibson

3.0

A VERY short novella to wrap up the “after” for A Dowry of Blood. This was really short and sweet and wraps the story up nicely with a bow 🫶🏼

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

dark emotional tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

Wow, I wanted to highlight this whole book. The prose is absolutely breathtaking! 

This is a beautiful, gothic, Dracula retelling, written in diary form by one of his wives. Personally, diary style writing isn’t always for me if it’s too heavy with internal monologue or repetitive. However, this is a short read that moved very quickly and had a perfect balance between internal monologue and plot. I was hooked from the opening pages. 

I don’t want to say too much and risk spoiling, but the dynamic relationships introduced were really unique and displays how challenging it can be to navigate an abusive relationship. 

Overall, beautiful prose, gothic/vampire vibes, and feminine rage come together to make a quick and powerful retelling! 

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

A gothic tale about a small town with a cursed family and a spooky, sentient house. 
This had all the groundwork for an amazing story, but unfortunately it left me wanting more. 
While there were gothic and horror-lite elements, it overall felt more like a small town story with slower pacing than I prefer, and left a lot of elements underdeveloped. 
The prose was absolutely beautiful… I loved the gothic elements and descriptions… and I appreciated the emphasis on race and class inequities. But overall, I wanted more romance, more of the house, and less of the small town.

Read this one as a buddy read- it would be a great fall pick for a book club! Lots of mystery elements to guess as you go, closed door romance.

How does it feel? by Jeneane O'Riley

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I really wasn’t sure how to rate this… I didn’t really enjoy reading it… but also wanted to see what would happen next? Kinda like watching true crime. It was a Stockholm syndrome acid trip. I was both disturbed and intrigued (seriously, there were some truly disturbing scenes, check the trigger warnings!! Or message me if you have questions) 
Now for the good: I really liked the FMC and that she was a bit of a science nerd, the spice and tension were 🔥, and there were some great lines. 
Overall though, the writing didn’t feel super cohesive and it felt like some good tropes and lines were placed in there for the sake of it. 
Without spoiling anything, I did have some qualms with the ending based on the POVs and narration throughout the book, so it left me a little confused. I’m curious about the second book and hoping it gives more insight and explanation to the ending- I will pick up the second one at some point, but I’m not dying to read it now. 

Some favorite quotes: 

“She could not live, but already I feared I would not draw breath without a part of her near.”

“We may have both been trying to destroy each other, lamb, but rest assured, only you have succeeded.”

Gothikana by RuNyx

dark mysterious medium-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

2.5

This one started off strong but the train derailed for me, unfortunately. I loooved the gothic academia vibes, the chapter header pictures and quotes, map etc. However, most of the plot was written in a YA style, and the spice was very much adult and dark romance- it just didn’t feel cohesive and was a little jarring. I usually love a possessive MMC, but this one took it a little too far, and the romance just wasn’t my cup of tea. The spice scenes also started to outweigh the plot in the second half which was when they really lost me. 

Overall, the atmosphere and setting were a 10/10 but the substance, romance, and plot fell short for me.

Thrum by Meg Smitherman

dark emotional mysterious 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

A sci-fi thriller with a hint of romance that had me on the edge of my seat the whole time! I read this in one sitting- could not put it down and was invested in the main character from the first chapter. It’s really short (less than 150 pages), totally unique, and honestly will have you examining your own psyche. 

This was definitely not my usual go-to but I’m so glad I picked it up and tried something different! (And that I was able to look past that cursed cover 😂)

A Certain Slant of Light by C.P. Du Toit

adventurous emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

3.5

A Certain Slant of Light is an excellent debut fantasy romance novel that features court intrigue, politics, and new adult romance. 

The main character, Sahle, finds herself thrust into the Anterealm, a parallel universe set in a fictional colonial African setting, where she’s informed she is the Queen. With no knowledge of this realm, she’s not only thrust into a new environment, but also a new role where the council of Lords attempts to control and influence her reign. Sahle finds herself battling with grieving her previous life, embracing her new role, and forging a new path in order to lead her people without losing herself. 

Du Toit’s prose, world building, and character arcs were raw and beautiful. This felt like a truly unique story. The first 50% of the book was very internal-monologue-heavy, as Sahle is dealing with conflicting emotions and her new role, which is not usually my preference, and the main reason for removing a star for me personally. However, the last 50% totally gripped me and left me with a lot of questions for where the story will go in the rest of the series! There’s one morally grey character in particular that I hope to see more of in book 2… 😉

Thank you so much to C.P. Du Toit for sharing this ARC with me!

Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

Apprentice to the Villain has the same slow burn tension and goofy humor as Assistant to the Villain, with a lot more action and found family. There’s more POVs (I think maybe 5 total?) which allows more insight into other budding romances as well. 
While I really enjoyed this one, most chapters seemed to fit the same formula- characters are in trouble, and then wrap it up quick to save the day before the end of the chapter. It’s fun and fast paced, but that formula started to feel a bit repetitive for me personally.
However, one of my favorite parts is when Evie’s chapter would close with her saying something outlandish, and it would cut to the next chapter in the Villain’s POV to get his internal reaction to her- cracked me up every time! 
I can’t wait to pick up book 3 and I am dyinggggg for some payoff from all this tension! (That training scene??! Are you kidding?! 🔥)
5 stars for Kingsley though 🐸

Heat of the Everflame by Penn Cole

adventurous challenging 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? Yes

5.0

For all those caught in the flames, remember that the hottest fires forge the strongest swords.”

This book is a BEAST! There’s a lot packed into it and it moves quick to cover a lot of ground. 
Diem is still reckless and infuriating to be honest lol but the story is so well-crafted and totally 5 stars. 
Heat continues the slow burn (but finally with some payoff!!) and found family established in the first two books and amps up the action and political scheming. If you like throne of glass, I definitely recommend checking out this series! I can’t wait for Burn of the Everflame- this cliffhanger was BRUTAL. 

Favorite quotes below: 

“…that was the moment the spark between us became a flame, the beginnings of our inevitable blaze.”

“This is just a taste of what I have planned for you. Our night is coming, and when it does, I’ll be the last first time you ever have.”

“Diem Bellator, you are everything I’ve ever wanted. You are my joy and my salvation. You are perfect. And I promise you this—I will love you for as long as love exists.”

Quicksilver by Callie Hart

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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? Yes

5.0

“For those who live their nightmares so that others may have their dreams.”

One of my favorite reads of the year! This is a fantasy romance with fae and humans (and some characters introduced in the second half that really took the story to the next level), and it absolutely lived up to the hype for me. I went into this totally blind, and I’m glad I did, because it surprised me more than once! 

The FMC, Saeris, lives in a cut throat, desert land where lying, stealing, and cheating are the only way to get ahead- and more importantly, get water. Saeris’ stealing catches up to her, but is she the only one she’s putting at risk? 

The MMC is an emo, broody shadow daddy which we all love, and he has quite the mouth. I ate up the banter and angst!

The characters were loveable (even Carrion, that pain in the ass 😂) and it also has a really unique magic system. I always worry with hyped books that it may feel like it’s a copy and paste of other popular books, but this story felt very complex and unique.  

I would say this is a dark-romance-leaning medium burn, and the spice is *chef’s kiss*. 

I was white knuckling the last 25% and the way it ended left so many questions for book 2- which comes out in October! 🙌🏼

Favorite quotes below:

“He's a Fae warrior, Saeris. You can not go around punching Fae warriors.”

“Admittedly, I do enjoy when a female kneels for me, but in this particular case...”

“I hated this male. Hated him with every fiber of my being. But curse me, I wanted him just as bad.”

“I'm about to introduce you to all seven gods. When you meet them, don't forget to tell them I'm the one you worship on your knees.”

“I was wrong, y’know. You are a good thief.” 🥺 this one got me