Book Review: Pack of Lies (The Potentate of Atlanta #2)

 

Pack of Lies

Hailey Edwards

Overall: 3/5

Plot and themes: 3/5

Characters: 3/5

Writing style: 3/5

Attention-grabbing: 3/5

Pack of Lies is the second book of the Potentate of Atlanta series following Hadley, basically a police officer who is also a necromancer. She's losing time and she thinks that the shadow who she is responsible for keeping in line is playing pranks on her. But pranks by this shadow are usually equivalent to a massacre and definitely something she needs to get under control. 

I'm okay with the pacing, both with the storyline and with the romance. I wish there had been a bit more of a boss battle in this book, it just felt a little like a filler but that's probably what it is. I wanted a bit more fulfillment, but the relationship had a nice little arc. I do see a bit of a problem with the secrets that both of them keep so close to their chest which is obviously going to be their biggest hurdle. But it definitely makes me nervous to see some authentic and wholesome development like what we saw in this book while knowing how much they're holding back. 

Still a great book even while being a filler and has definitely kept my attention and prompted me to download the next book. Like I said in my last review, they read very easily and they're just fun to read.

Book Review: Shadow of Doubt (The Potentate of Atlanta #1)

 

Shadow of Doubt

Hailey Edwards

Overall: 3.5/5

Plot and themes: 4/5

Characters: 3/5

Writing style: 3/5

Attention-grabbing: 4/5

Shadow of Doubt is the first book in The Potentate of Atlanta series, a sequel series to another series that I didn't read. Hadley committed the ultimate wrong, but rather than the death penalty which she would typically receive she got a new identity and training to be the potentate of Atlanta. But along with this, she has a shadow desperate for chaos which she has to constantly keep in line. 

It's a pretty typical PNR aside from it being pretty slowburn and with a tad of a love triangle twist. The chemistry is pretty obvious straight from the beginning though. There was an oversaturation of certain phrases that really annoyed me, they hyper-fixation on the hair and describing characteristics of the protagonists was a lot. But all in all it was a pretty good start with enough drama to keep me going. I think that it might be a little better if I had read the first series but that's my own fault.

I don't have a lot to say because I have once again already finished the sequel prior to writing this review. They read like popcorn they're incredibly addictive and only mildly fulfilling. But I think if you're a fan of PNR you'll probably be a fan of this series.

Book Review: The Whimsy Witch Who Wasn't (Tales of Xest #1)

 

The Whimsy Witch Who Wasn't

Donna Augustine

Overall: 2/5

Plot and themes: 1/5

Characters: 2/5

Writing style: 1/5

Attention-grabbing: 2/5

One night, Tippi is kidnapped by a couple of bounty hunters and transported to the world of Xest. Xest is a kind of pocket dimension where only those with magic can survive, and magic is something she apparently has plenty of. When Hawk finds her he knows she's the only one who can really help him with the mysterious dark threat to Xest. 

The plot of this was super bland. I couldn't figure out what was going on for most of it and then when I did figure it out I didn't really care much. I'm kind of sick of books writing in unavailable men like this into the romance, there are enough of those in real life. And like if he led someone on forever because he's unable to commit for some random reason I'm not really buying that it's something that can be realistically overcome for their weak romance. 

I didn't like the magic or the characters much so it was really just a fail for me. I've liked Donna Augustine's other books so this was just a disappointment. 

 

Book Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1)

 

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Sarah J. Maas

Overall: 2/5

Plot and themes: 2/5

Characters: 2/5

Writing style: 2/5

Attention-grabbing: 3/5

Me doing a reread of ACOTAR in the year 2021 is pretty wild but book club is book club. ACOTAR is something completely separate from the ACOTAR series because really it's just a whole other arc. Is it boring? Sometimes. Is it basic? Most of the time. I'm not a huge ACOTAR fan but I can respect that it has it's moments, and this one has probably the fewest of those moments?

I think that the biggest issue that I had with this book in discussion was the amount of times she had to use the phrase her bowels turned watery. Three. Three times in the course of the 400-some pages of this book. That was just the tip of the iceberg though, SJM uses way too many random phrases that are just not good for the situation or the universe. It's not even a problem with just this book, I had that same issues in ACOSF. It's really just a SJM thing. 

Not much to say, it's just a kind of basic Beauty and the Beast retelling and there's not a ton of chemistry between the main characters. I guess it's a nice commentary on the difficulties with romances across different classes. I don't know really because it just seems kind of bland and I guess I'm most offended by the fact that it's so popular.

 

Book Review: Kill the Queen (Crown of Shards #1)

Kill the Queen

Jennifer Estep

Overall: 5/5

Plot and themes: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Writing style: 5/5

Attention-grabbing: 5/5

So the first book in the sequel trilogy to this trilogy came out last week and I decided it was time to do a reread and I didn't write a review the first time I read it. Let me tell you, the reread did not disappoint. If you're a fan of gladiators, magic, and underdog heroines this is the perfect book for you. Evie has been a royal underling for most of her life. She was only twelve when her parents were killed and she became a ward of the queen as an unwanted cousin. As such, she's been forced into all the diplomatic duties that the people with the real power have ignored. When her psychotic cousin stages a coup to take the power from the queen and murder every single possible heir, she goes into hiding as a gladiator to figure out a way to fight back. 

Evie is great because she's realistic. She knows her worth and has spent 15 years performing below it. She doesn't want to be a pawn, even for the good of the kingdom. Some people could find problems with that but like she still does what she's supposed to, even while recognizing the weight of the injustice. I love her for training and fighting for something she doesn't even really want but something that she knows is necessary. 

It also helps that the romance is so cute yet subtle. I thought it was a bigger part looking back on it so it was a little disappointing to see so little of Sullivan, but I think it speaks to the centrality of Evie's own arc that the romance plays such a minor role. Doesn't prevent the significance of their scenes though and makes me really excited to reread the next book. 

If you haven't read this series then you really need to get on it, it has every single thing that I think anyone could possibly want. It's way underrated and it's one of those books that I'll never stop recommending.

Book Review: Black Hat, White Witch (Black Hat Bureau #1)

Black Hat, White Witch

Hailey Edwards

Overall: 4/5

Plot and themes: 4/5

Characters: 4/5

Writing style: 5/5

Attention-grabbing: 5/5

Black Hat, White Witch is the first book in the Black Hat Bureau really following Rue Hollis on her quest to goodness. She was a Black Witch for the first 60 years of her life, consuming hearts to gain more power. But circumstances have motivated her to convert to being a White Witch, weaker and reliant on their innate magic. When a copycat of the same killer that showed her true evil in the world pops up, it motivates her to come out of hiding and go back to the bureau she swore she'd never work for again. 

This book is really fun. I have a niche love for supernatural detective agencies but I think this one is particularly unique in its composition. It's not a bunch of people with strong moral compasses who live for vanquishing evil, it's a bunch of pretty morally corrupt people trying to root out those who are the most morally corrupt. Rue has participated in her fair share of moral corruption and wants to break away from it all, but the ties that bind her are stronger than it first seems. 

I liked it a lot aside from the way the plot kind of dropped a ton of super important things right at the end. With her relationship with Asa (that's a little weird and I'm hoping it'll be developed a lot more) and with her relationship with the bureau. It's not that it made it bad or anything it just made it confusing comparative to the flow through the rest of the book. Regardless of that, I'm looking forward to a sequel where we learn a lot more about the magical foundation of the universe along with more background on all the characters. It was way too short and brought too much to the table for it to cut off the way it did. If the next book was available now though I might not have seen it as a problem who knows.

Book Review: Song of the Forever Rains (Mousai #1)

 

Song of the Forever Rains

E.J. Mellow

Overall: 5/5

Plot and themes: 4/5

Characters: 5/5

Writing style: 5/5

Attention-grabbing: 5/5

Larkyra has just reached her majority, the youngest of the trio of Mousai that inspires fear and respect for the Thief King. Her voice gives her magic that most could not comprehend, the ability to rip people apart or put them back together. She's ready for taking on more responsibilities, she wants to succeed at her first solo mission. It involves her posing as a fake fiancee for a corrupt duke, using an addictive form of diluted magic and taking out the subsequent aggression on his stepson. 

I liked this book a lot. I thought it had a pretty decent plot that kept me engaged through the very end. What really made it so notable and unique among all the other books with similar plots would probably be the family dynamics. The banter between the sisters was hilarious and fun and just felt so authentic. And the fact that they have such an open and mutually respectful relationship with their father? Basically unheard of in this kind of fantasy and I was living for it. 

Larkyra's powers were also a fun part of the narrative. I love a good plot line all about balance, balancing the strength that a power like that provides you with the responsibility which you have to keep it under control. I just love a protagonist who is so aware of themselves, it's just really refreshing. 

So while it was a tad predictable and a little weak on the romantic front, I really appreciated this read. I don't know if I'll read the next when it comes out because I'm obsessed with Larkyra but like this is a definite recommend.

 

Book Review: The Maidens

 

The Maidens

Alex Michaelides

Overall: 3/5

Plot and themes: 3/5

Characters: 1/5

Writing style: 3/5

Attention-grabbing: 3/5

The Maidens is a dark-academia book that people have kind of thrown into the same category as The Secret History. Mariana is a group therapist and at this point in her life she has lost most of her family, but she still has her niece whom she has spoiled for most of her life. When one of her niece's friends is murdered, Mariana decides that she needs to step in to help locate the killer. 

I like to read protagonists who are capable. Mariana was very far from it. She was definitely the most annoying element of the book because it was like the author didn't want to give her anything to be good at. It was a constant merry-go-round of pity and self-doubt that is not very conducive to solving a murder. The murderer seemed pretty clear to me from the start (though with a twist that surprised me so it does get points for that) but the author tried to throw us off by giving us random plot-lines to follow. I know that's how mysteries are often written, but there should be some closure or some reasoning as to why it was done that way and this book really lacked that. 

As a mystery, it was fine. As dark academia, it was okay though there wasn't really much academia happening. For the characters it would be a hard pass for me because their general arcs were completely straight forward from the beginning. It's an easy read and it has it's moments but it's not something that's going to ever make my favorites.

Book Review: Broken Skies (Dragon's Gift: The Storm #4)

 

Broken Skies

Veronica Douglas and Linsey Hall

Overall: 2/5

Plot and themes: 2/5

Characters: 2/5

Writing style: 3/5

Attention-grabbing: 3/5

I feel justified in downgrading this one to 2 stars as opposed to the 3 stars which I gave the other books in the series. This is the finale, I've been waiting for some kind of resolution/explanation about her ancestry or how she can control these powers that are so mystical and OP and it looks like we're finally going to get that. Damien's still having a hissy fit about being too dangerous and they both also have this instant chemistry that really makes no sense in context because they don't really know each other. 

The most pressing question of the book for me had the easiest solution: she should just have someone wish to find her parents. It was right in front of her the entire time. But it was also like she had forgotten that pressing issue. I don't even know how it makes sense for her to have lost her family in the first place considering it seems like they are from earth? Planes walking as a whole concept was so poorly defined throughout the whole series and I'm still confused as to how exactly it works. 

The resolution to the whole series was also weak and the same for both characters despite their very different origins. It made me mad with how straightforward it was given the convoluted nature of the rest of the books. I don't know I'm not really recommending the books unless you're really bored and you need something mindless to read.

 

Book Review: Cursed Angel (Dragon's Gift: The Storm #3)

 

Cursed Angel

Veronica Douglas and Linsey Hall

Overall: 3/5

Plot and themes: 3/5

Characters: 3/5

Writing style: 3/5

Attention-grabbing: 3/5

This is the third book in the Storm series, part of the Dragon's Gift universe. It follows the adventures of Neve, a half-djinn, and Damien, a fallen angel/FireHeart. Their powers are confusing and poorly defined and the reasoning behind holding back on their romance? Even more so. Matthias, basically the only character who was not introduced as a clear protagonist, is the villain and he's set to capture enough djinn to take over the world. Not only does Neve have to stop him but she has to resist the possibility of being trapped into granting his wishes for all of eternity. 

Again, this is part of a greater universe so maybe I'm just missing out on the magical components because I haven't read all of the other installments. But there are a lot of things that I just didn't follow. It wasn't even following more like understand the relevance of. It's like, it wasn't a bad story or anything and it was mildly entertaining it just wasn't something that I was super involved in the whole time I was reading it. 

I've finished reading the series so I felt bad rating it much lower than three, it was interesting enough for me to make it to the end and not hate them all. But it also could have been a lot more interesting. 

Book Review: Dark Storm (Dragon's Gift: The Storm #2)

 

Dark Storm

Veronica Douglas and Linsey Hall

Overall: 3/5

Plot and themes: 3/5

Characters: 3/5

Writing style: 3/5

Attention-grabbing: 3/5

I am once again way behind on reviews so I read this a couple weeks and I'm just going to provide a brief overview. Neve risked her life to capture a powerful djinn, only for him to be stolen less than a week later. The skill set of the thief leads her back to Damien Malek's doorstep. When she determines he's not at fault, they team up to find the thief and save the world.

It's fine albeit very convenient. We've switched it up and added Damien's POV to the mix and he seems as though he has... obsessive tendencies. The entire secret mystery leading up to his big reveal is annoying too because like get over it why do we have to hear him talk about how broken he is and how nothing between him and Neve would ever work. I would much rather get the tragic backstory about why he's broken. 

I've already read the other two books at this point so my review is obviously a little biased but yeah it's an addicting kind of thing to read so you'll probably get to the end though I'm not really recommending it.

 

Book Review: Wicked Wish (Dragon's Gift: The Storm #1)

Wicked Wish

Veronica Douglas and Linsey Hall

Overall: 3/5

Plot and themes: 3/5

Characters: 3/5

Writing style: 3/5

Attention-grabbing: 3/5

Wicked Wish is the first book in the Dragon's Gift series that follows Nevaeh as she tries to figure out her powers and her past while saving her randomly kidnapped best friend. She works for the supernatural division of the FBI but she doesn't have much upward mobility because she's been hiding her superpowers and apparently you're promoted based on magic rather than detective merit. It's not a very well-defined system but she's always been one to color inside the lines. That is until her friend is kidnapped and she teams up with a bounty hunter (who's also a criminal I don't know if that's a side thing or a misinterpretation of what a bounty hunter is) and breaks all the rules to save her. 

It was fairly average across the board. I wasn't super excited by it but I finished it quickly because it held my attention. I think the characters went back and forth a lot more than what I typically like but because the book went so fast it really wasn't that big of an issue. The authors held out a lot on giving us what we really want to know- her heritage and her magic abilities- so I'll definitely be reading the sequel just to satisfy that. 

The romance was eh. I don't know we really don't know enough about either of the protagonists for me to feel especially motivated to ship them with each other. I guess it has potential in the same way that every dark and angsty protagonist has potential to be the standard love interest. It's weird cause I don't want to read unless there's a romance but I don't particularly care that much about the romance here despite that being at the center. I don't know, I'm hoping that in the next book everything clicks a little better.

Novella Review: Sparkle Witch (The Lazy Girl's Guide to Magic #3.5)

Sparkle Witch

Helen Harper

Overall: 3/5

Plot and themes: 3/5

Characters: 4/5

Writing style: 4/5

Attention-grabbing: 3/5

Sparkle Witch is the final-final addition to this series. A novella set a few months after the conclusion of the main series, this is just a short little look into where are main characters are in life and how everything is shaping up. There's a thievery and Ivy finds herself responsible for tracking it down rather than facing the risk of an earth-shattering curse ending everything. But it's not really as serious as all that and mostly it's just a cute little Christmas story. 

My biggest problem with it all is probably that it was so pointless. I didn't get fantastic romantic interactions, I didn't get some crazy mystery, and I didn't get a look into the combined struggles of being in charge of a major organization and tracking down all of England's descendants of people who accidentally cursed souls. I wanted one of those things, and while I was kind of satisfied with the development of Brutus's whole story I think it was a weird step away from the whole lead up they were doing. I also liked his banter but I didn't really need the whole hidden thing. I was expecting a lot more gushy romance stuff and I got basic crumbs. 

I'm also confused as to where we're even leaving Ivy and Winter, are they married or just dating? She called herself a wife once but I think as a joke and I'm pretty sure at another point she said girlfriend but people in the reviews seem to think they're married? I don't know but it could've been clarified in this novella and instead I just lack fulfillment. Still love the series and had a great time but I just want more.

 

Book Review: Kiss of the Blood Prince

Kiss of the Blood Prince

Alessa Thorn

Overall: 2/5

Plot and themes: 1/5

Characters: 1/5

Writing style: 2/5

Attention-grabbing: 2/5

One day when riding the train home from work, Elise is caught in the midst of a mass-murder and taken hostage by the murderer. But don't worry, he's a fae prince who had reasoning for committing such atrocities. She's put to work in his castle and seldom sees him for the first few weeks, but fate pushes them together yet again and even though he's a jerk he somehow holds back from murdering her long enough to instantly fall in love with her. 

I'm very aware of the fact that I chose a book called Kiss of the Blood Prince but there were no real rules in this book. On one hand it's fae and they're super powerful and somehow taking over the world? But also no one really cares? Like they murdered a whole train of people who couldn't all have been related to their vendetta and they stole a bunch of baby but everyone was just satisfied with agreeing to their bizarre terms of service. I don't think any world leader is going to be agreeing to terms based on the events of that peace discussion. It was all so out of place. 

They had chemistry I guess? But also not really at all cause they had no common ground and didn't really take the time to get to know one another. It was super short and easy to read but it wasn't well-structured or fullfilling at all. It was rushed like a novella when I had the full expectations of a novel. So I don't think the sequels will really be on my TBR.

Book Review: A Wicked Conceit (Lady Darby #9)

A Wicked Conceit

Anna Lee Huber

Overall: 4/5

Plot and themes: 3/5

Characters: 4/5

Writing style: 4/5

Attention-grabbing: 4/5

A Wicked Conceit is the ninth and latest book in the Lady Darby series following Kiera and Sebastian Gage as they hunt down murderers and solve mysteries. Kiera is in the final days of her first pregnancy but there's drama unfolding in the city as a book released by an anonymous author throws them into another scandal. Despite her upcoming due date, Kiera is unwilling to let it rest and let her child be tainted by the idea of illegitimacy. There are also other things she's kept from Gage and everything's going wrong all at once. 

I thought this was a nice addition the series and I liked the mystery and how the character arcs are progressing. I will say that I was unhappy with the way that Sebastian and Alana treated Kiera and for very different reasons. To some extent though I can respect that Sebastian is really acting the best that a man of his class and station could ever be expected to act in the situation. Also though it's annoying how he keeps praising Kiera for her independence of mind then turning around and biting her head off for the same thing. Alana felt like she was just trying to get involved in something that wasn't her business and she was being really rude while doing so then they just threw in some past angst to justify it. 

I'm glad it all worked out and I thought it was a pretty fun and wild ride through and through. I'm glad that they're staying consistent with their original personalities while still growing and expanding as characters. It was a little weird and misplaced though for Lady Darby to meet her first Black person ever and then be like oops racism better do something. I don't really like how she consistently reflects on her ability to go above and beyond with her employees and those around her. That should be something we see rather than get a monologue about. But even while saying that I'm glad we're seeing her reconstruct her life with her new priorities and not losing any of her original spark. 

But yeah, it was a good addition to an amazing series and I'm really glad I read it. I can't wait to see where the characters go next! I have a horrible feeling that this whole thing with Bonnie Brock might become more integral to the plot though and we know who would have to die for that to happen so uh that better be a crazy and far out prediction.

Book Review: A Hunger Like No Other (Immortals After Dark #1)

 

A Hunger Like No Other

Kresley Cole

Overall: 1.5/5

Plot and themes: 1/5

Characters: 1/5

Writing style: 1/5

Attention-grabbing: 2/5

A Hunger Like No Other is the first book in the Immortals After Dark series but I think it can be read as a standalone like it follows separate couples. I saw it recommended on TikTok as like a fun kind of enemies to lovers book with a cool magic universe and a dark male protagonist and uh yeah kind of missed the mark on that one for me. Lachlain is a werewolf, basically the king of them all, but he has been imprisoned for a hundred and fifty years by the vampire king. He escapes when he senses his soulmate close by and basically rips his own leg off to get to her. That's really where him being selfless kind of ends. Emmaline is on a journey to discover her past and the werewolf wasn't really part of these plans. 

Like, this wasn't cute. It was like a car crash so I couldn't really look away, but I don't think it was well-written or well-planned. Even if you look past the fact that this should definitely come with trigger warnings because I feel like Lachlain's actions could definitely be perceived as sexual assault, the entirety of everything was so basic and straightforward. Literally everything that you thought might have happened happened in exactly the format that you expected. I like a happily ever after but this was just stupid because I couldn't even feel a real conflict.

So I don't know how it has such a high rating, I kept waiting for something to happen and nothing really ever did. Also just a general FYI, mentioning the concept of Stockholm Syndrome does not automatically absolve the character from getting it. The power imbalance and the way he separated her from her family? It all just felt icky and Emmaline simply telling us she was no longer meek and easily pushed around does not by any means guarantee that as a reality. Overall, I was really disappointed by it and definitely would not recommend it.