Rating: 4.5 STARS Genre: LGBT/Fantasy/Paranormal Series/Standalone: Standalone How I got this book: April 2021 Illumicrate Box! A pansexual bloodmage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead. In Thanopolis, those gifted with magic are assigned undead spirits to guard them—and control them. Ever since Rovan’s father died trying to keep her from this fate, she’s hidden her magic. But when she accidentally reveals her powers, she’s bound to a spirit and thrust into a world of palace intrigue and deception. Desperate to escape, Rovan finds herself falling for two people she can’t fully trust: Lydea, a beguiling, rebellious princess; and Ivrilos, the handsome spirit with the ability to control Rovan, body and soul. Together, they uncover a secret that will destroy Thanopolis. To save them all, Rovan will have to start a rebellion in both the mortal world and the underworld, and find a way to trust the princess and spirit battling for her heart—if she doesn’t betray them first. TW: Murder, death of loved ones, violence, blood, gore, body horror, alcoholism, forced marriage, threat of rape/abuse, enforced gender roles.
A note before I get started: I always try to include TW/CW for any books that I read as I know they're really crucial for a lot of people BUT I know if I'd seen the warnings above before opening this book, I might not have read it and honestly, that would have been awful since this book turned out to be fantastic. So, without trying to spoil the book, I just want to say that this book doesn't have a tragic ending and 'murder/death aside' a lot of the warnings above are quite mild and just made the story more powerful. I've also seen several people commenting on the fact that queer characters die in this book, but pretty much all the main characters are queer, and things happen in a way that I don't for a second think this is an attack on queer identity. Okay, on to the review. ------------- I LOVED THIS BOOK! At the moment, standalone books are really my thing. I'm really tired of series, especially really long series which are feeling a bit tedious right now as I'm swamped with work and don't have as much time to read as I used to. So, I love that this book is a standalone. The ending was perfect and while I'd really enjoy a novella, I think things wrapped up pretty well. In the Ravenous Dark starts with a pretty epic prologue, where we're introduced to our main character, Rovan, as a young girl, forced to hide and watch as her father is captured and killed by the blood mages who serve the king. This opening scene was truly epic, bloody and a perfect way to open this book. We then jump forward in time to see Rovan at nineteen years old, passed out from drinking too much on top of a building after fooling around with a girl from the village, when an accident leads to her magic being revealed for all to see. I think Rovan is a really fun character. She's feisty, unashamed and reckless to a fault. She adds a lot of humour and spice to the book, and she's realistic in that she's a complete mess. She's pansexual and openly queer (as are most of the main characters), which was a refreshing take, and this book has a ton of great representation incl. lesbian relationships, pansexual characters, polyamory, and non-binary characters. The pacing of the book was great, if almost a little too fast, as certain things felt a bit rushed, mainly the relationships, but I'm so glad the author didn't drag things out unnecessarily and turn it into a series. I basically couldn't put it down once I started and read it in a few sittings. When Rovan is captured and taken to the palace, we meet a variety of characters incl. the lovely and friendly Japha, the beguiling Lydea (a princess trapped in a life she doesn't want), and dangerous Ivrilos (a centuries-dead spirit bound to Rovan against her will). The palace is a dangerous place, full of dark secrets, and Rovan must work out who she can trust. Overall, this is a really dark, gripping book. I love how the author blends blood magic, ghosts, found family, and a really great and unique queer relationship to create a blood-thirsty, darkly funny and tense fantasy that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I personally feel that this book would be better suited to an older YA/adult audience. It feels like, if it were a film, it'd be rated either 15 or 18 as it does contain some gore and heavier themes, but I loved it and will definitely be on the lookout for other work by this author. Rating: 5 STARS! Genre: Romantic Comedy Standalone/Series: Naughty Princess Club #2 How I got this book: ARC from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley A tale as old as time: she needs a place to stay, he's a grump with a secret and an extra room...can love find a way? Meet the Naughty Princess Club, a series from USA Today bestselling author Tara Sivec that brings readers to Fairytale Lane and the hilarity—and romance—that three women fall into once they decide to strut their stuff and bring on their own happily ever after. Living in her overprotective dad’s basement, shy Belle lives her life through books. Being a part of the Naughty Princess Club is the first adventure she’s ever had, plus she desperately needs the money to save one of her favorite places - the local library. But when her new friends and new business gets her kicked out of her dad’s house, Belle is rescued by the surly Vincent “Beast” Adams who invites her to be his house guest until she gets back on her feet. Despite his attitude problem and long list of rules, Belle finds herself warming to the muscled man with a penchant for growling and starts seeing a gentle side to him that wasn’t there before. Yet there’s a room that Beast keeps locked and Belle keeps getting hints that Beast is hiding something…can a nerdy librarian tame the beast or will their romance be over before it has a chance to blossom? I only meant to make a start on this book last night because it was quite late when I got started, but I'd clearly forgotten the unputdownable power of Tara Sivec because once I'd started I could not stop.
So, bear with me because I have a massive book hangover after the few hours I spent devouring this story last night into the early hours of this morning. This book is the second story in the Naughty Princess Club series, and whilst I would highly recommend the first book in the series, At The Stroke of Midnight, this book can be read as a standalone. So, I'm listening to the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack whilst writing this review, because this is my favourite fairytale of all time and I cannot ever get enough! But be warned, this isn't your typical Beauty and the Beast re-telling. Be prepared for a 21st century, smart-mouthed, sassy firecracker who isn't afraid to fight for what she wants, even if that means strutting her sexy stuff and showing that stripper pole, and the Beast, who's boss. Beast emulates his nickname perfectly. He's big, brutish, and a man of few words, or at least that's what Belle thinks before she finds herself kicked out of her dad's basement, crashing at the library where she works only to be 'rescued' by none other than the Beast himself. Maybe he isn't such a brute after all? I love the butterfly inducing chemistry between these two - *swoon*! "Sweet mother of pearl, he's got the V." In true Tara Sivec style, this book is an absolute riot. Filled with plenty of laugh out loud moments (warning: reading one of Tara's rom-coms is almost impossible in the middle of the night when other people are trying to sleep - I may have laughed a little too loudly a few times). Belle has quite the transformation in this book, which becomes more evident if you also read At the Stroke of Midnight in which she starts off very shy, nervous and demure. As time goes on, and as the Beast continues to push her buttons, Belle discovers her feisty 'anti-pushover' side and really comes into her own. There are a couple of hilarious scenes (and new characters) that help to make this book truly hysterical. I won't give too much away, but look out for the scene where Belle gets a flirting lesson. Her fact-spouting quirk really ramps up when she's nervous and provides plenty of comedy. In addition to this, we meet the wonderful Mrs. Potter who works with Belle at the library. This little old lady is seriously funny and has absolutely no filter. Look out for her in a particularly amazing "surprise" lap-dance scene. "YOLO, bitches! If I had a wad of singles I'd be making it rain!" Belle's two friends Ariel and Cindy are the cause of much trouble and fun for Belle and wherever they appear in the book, hilarity ensues. This is the second book in the Naughty Princess Club series by Tara Sivec and I cannot wait for Ariel's story later this year! If you're looking for a hilarious, modern, tongue-in-cheek, fairytale with an unconventional happy ever after, this series is 100% for you! 5 glittering gold stars! Rating: 3.5 STARS Genre: Romantic Comedy/Contemporary Romance Standalone/Series: Shacking Up Series (can be read as a standalone) How I got this book: ARC from St Martin's Press A new kind of love story about flipping houses, taking risks, and landing that special someone who’s move-in ready… SHE’S GOT CURB APPEAL Rian Sutter grew up with the finer things in life. Spending summers in The Hamptons was a normal occurrence for her until her parents lost everything years ago. Now Rian and her sister are getting their life, and finances, back on track through real estate. Not only do they buy and sell houses to the rich and famous, but they finally have the capital to flip their very own beachfront property. But when she inadvertently catches the attention of a sexy stranger who snaps up every house from under her, all bets are off… HE’S A FIXER UPPER Pierce Whitfield doesn’t normally demo kitchens, install dry wall, or tear apart a beautiful woman’s dreams. He’s just a down-on-his-luck lawyer who needed a break from the city and agreed to help his brother work on a few homes in the Hamptons. When he first meets Rian, the attraction is undeniable. But when they start competing for the same pieces of prime real estate, the early sparks turn into full-blown fireworks. Can these passionate rivals turn up the heat on their budding romance—without burning down the house? I FLIPPING LOVE YOU, set in the Shacking Up world, follows two people, both working in real estate, who find themselves vying for the same properties in the Hamptons, leading to a sometimes-not-so-friendly competition. I was kindly sent an ARC copy of this book from St. Martin's press. I read book 1 in this series 'Shacking Up' late last year and it was lots of fun. However, I was a little concerned that I'd be missing something in this book because I haven't read book 2.
Luckily, this book can be read as a standalone and at no point did I feel as though I'd 'missed-out' on anything by not reading the previous book. This author has a really snappy, fun writing style. The pace is great and at no point did I feel bored or want to stop reading. I was a little concerned when I first started reading as I had a little trouble connecting with Rian (read Ryan), I found her somewhat prejudiced, and childish, particularly in the first chapter. I also struggled to understand her 'hardship' and why her past (which is a central theme in the book) is such a harrowing secret. I get what happened to her was complete crap, I just don't understand why it was such a huge deal. I was also more than a little amused that Rian and her sister Marley seem to keep referring to themselves as having a very low-income and scrimping when at one point they contemplate a $5 million house purchase (insert sceptical eyes here). Anyway, moving on... Once I got past the first chapter, things definitely took a turn for the better. The introduction of Marley really made things much better for me, she's funny, witty and feisty and so is Rian as the book moves on, particularly during her interactions with Pierce who really brings out the best in her. Pierce is crazy hot, and there's plenty of chemistry between him and Rian. What I really enjoyed about this book was that some of the 'dirtier' scenes were heavily laden with comedy. Pierce is my favourite character. He's determined, driven, funny, serious, playful, swoon-worthy, and isn't afraid to go after what he wants. There's a scene featuring Pierce in a very suspect 'outfit' that works brilliantly thanks to a firecracker of an elderly woman and her perfectly dirty humour. The romance in this novel is not slow-burn, it's hot and heavy and moves really quickly but the pace works really well and I read the novel super quick; in just two short sittings. It was definitely a fun and sexy book that fans of the series will devour. So, if you like your romance heavy, your guys hot, your heroines smart-mouthed and hard-working, and a heavy dose of comedy mixed into the pot, you'll love I Flipping Love You. HEA Guaranteed! 3.5 fun loving stars from me! Rating: 4 STARS Genre: YA/SCI-FI Standalone/Series: The Illuminae Files #1 How I got this book: Bought This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded. The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit. But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again. BRIEFING NOTE: Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more--Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes. I've been contemplating this book since I finished it last night, and I'm still processing so apologies if this review is somewhat haphazard.
I should probably start by saying that I've only ever read one other Sci-Fi book before, Amid Stars and Darkness, which I absolutely loved, but besides parts of it taking place in space, it was completely alien to this book. See what I did there? My reactions to this book were a progressing variation of WTF, something like this: What? What the? What the hell? WTF? OMG WTF JUST HAPPENED? WTF AM I READING? WHY BOOK GODS WHY? Illuminae threw me off from the first page due to its format, and the unusual way in which it's presented. As a side note, some parts were a tad unreadable on my Kindle due to the tiny font size but would probably have been much better in book form. However, there were 4 parts of this book that I found brilliant: Kady, Ezra, Aidan and the person transcribing the video scenes. The characters are lively, unique, funny, feisty and believable. I ached for them, almost cried for them and laughed at entirely inappropriate moments. The story itself is phenomenal. I loved it. The storyline, the plot twists, the unexpected reveals - it was all fantastic, all of the elements in this book made it so good! Incidentally, at no point did this actually seem like a YA read, I was terrified and had trouble sleeping the entire time I was reading!! I am a huge scaredy cat! Literally, the only reason that I'm not giving this book 5 stars is that I'm just not sure it's entirely my thing. I completely appreciate the storytelling, the characters and the unique way it was delivered but I'm not entirely sure that this type of sci-fi is for me...saying that, I'm still a really curious to find out what happens next, so who knows... Maybe Illuminae is my gateway drug to becoming a massive sci-fi fan...we shall see! As an aside, I'm now even more inclined though to read Nevernight because this type of dark humour and insane plot twists in a fantasy novel...bring it on! |
Never miss a post!
About Kay (She/Her)
Book addict, film mad, music lover, business owner, writer and mum (not necessarily in that order), living in the UK. About Sophie (She/Her)
Sophie loves books (obviously). She has a passion for photography and spotting wildlife, and is interested in anything made with passion and creativity. THIS BLOG IS SPOILER FREE!
Rating system: 5 Stars - AMAZING!! 4.5 Stars - Almost perfect! 4 Stars - I really loved it 3.5 Stars - I liked it alot 3 Stars - I liked it (I don't typically review books that I rate below 3 stars)
Archives
March 2023
Categories
All
Recently Read:
#Bookstagram:Upcoming Blog Tours:
|