#Book Reviewer

[meltotheany]

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known (Wayward Children, #9)by Seanan McGuire | ARC Review

Goodreads | Amazon US | B&N | Blackwell’s | Bookshop 1.) Every Heart a Doorway ★★★★★2.) Down Among the Sticks and Bones ★★★★★3.) Beneath the Sugar Sky ★★★★4.) In an Absent Dream ★★★★★5.) Come Tumbling Down ★★★6.) Across the Green Grass Fields ★★★★7.) Where the Drowned Girls Go ★★★8.) Lost in the Moment and Found ★★★★★ ARC provided by Tor – thank you so much !! “The door wasn’t there because…

[tha-star]

In a modern au of fem bingqiu, a social media influencers, I see Luo Binghe having a food channel or a gamer one (games of violence, because her OP energy would radiate, and I think this contrast in Binghe is funny), maybe both. Luo Binghe being very soft cooking, and rough cleaning battlefields like it was nothing in games.

While Shen Yuan reviews books, she also reviews other pop culture things, but more about books. Soft masc is more her style, while Binghe has the cute and baddie style.

Imagine both of them ending up on these horrible misogynistic podcasters, 'cause they heard that the other one would be there, and they are already fans of each other, the first time they will see each other in person is in this horrible situation.

I feel like they could constantly pit one against the other, like "Shen Yuan is the intellectual kind of woman, Luo Binghe is superficial, play games for the simps", "Luo Binghe has many talents of a housewife, Shen Yuan is not feminine, has no vanity."

But they constantly defend each other with passion.

Weeks later, Shen Yuan on live and Luo Binghe appears behind with cookies, kiss the top of her head and leaves. And the internet discovers that they are dating. (Or married, it would be even funnier that way)

[thebookraven]

My reaction after reading Nona was to scream, “I am not okay! I am unwell!” and then proceed to have an existential crisis. I love this series so freaking much!!!

[rlbookreviews]

Again, In Autumn by Emily Hart My rating: 5 of 5 stars Loved this fall book! Definitely a cozy read! I wanted to drink coffee, snuggle up under a soft fuzzy blanket, and sit by the wood stove. It’s that cozy to me. I recommend this book to all my fellow romance readers, very heart felt throughout the entire book. And overall, I really enjoy reading this book. It’s about a teenage romance that ended at 18; but they meet again 14 years later in their adult lives at the same lake house. Their lives have changed a lot in the past fourteen years, but some things haven’t changed. He’s a famous singer now and she’s a school teacher. She never followed her dreams to be a baker like she wanted, and he pursued his dreams. I do recommend a box of tissues because it is an emotional rollercoaster you’re about to go on. So many cute and laughable moments and some sad tears jerking moments. I cried a lot, but I really loved this book because of how heart felt it is. It does have a little spice in the book. To sum up my review, if you like hallmark movies, you’ll love “Again in Autumn” by Emily Hart. View all my reviews

[ninsiana0]

Read PALADIN'S HOPE by T. Kingfisher if you love doctor dramas, *buddy-cop narratives, mysterious corpses, secret powers, vegetarians, being trapped in a maze, definitely not kissing your hook-ups, cross-cultural exchanges of knowledge, deadly obstacle courses, pretty men & apples.

*A gnole definitely says ACAB, tho

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Every week I will post various reviews I've written so far in 2024. You can check out my Goodreads for more up-to-date reviews HERE. You can friend me on Goodreads here.

Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts?

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297. Almond by Sohn Won-Pyung & Joosun Lee (Translator)--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Did I enjoy this book? If I say that I listened to this audiobook and then went and bought the physical book as a trophy, would that be enough to show how much I enjoyed this book?

I wasn't sure what to expect from ALMOND, especially because it was recommended in a batch of other recommendations that were either low-ratings or DNFs. But I'm so glad I gave it a shot because it was an incredible read with, ironically, a lot of heart.

The MC is teen boy who was diagnosed with a disorder that leaves him without the ability to understand emotions. As tragedy strikes his small family, the truth of his situation is made even more obvious. That horrible moment sets off a chain of events that will lead the MC to incredible character growth and, in some ways, showcases him showing more empathy and understanding than others who CAN feel emotions.

ALMOND isn't the kind of book where I'd say I loved the relationships the MC cultivates, but I did appreciate them and the role they played in helping him grow. One of his childhood friendships is slightly abusive, but because the MC is so straight-forward, I was able to look past that and see the friendship through his eyes. The character in question is morally questionable, but his intentions (when stripped of all emotion) were things that made that friendship worthwhile.

There were many moments of prejudices, assumptions, abuse, and grief, but because it is from the perspective of someone who lacked emotion, the story felt strangely candid. I really, really enjoyed this book and it definitely left me thinking about how the world is and how heavily it depends on emotions and the perception of situations BASED on those emotions.

I highly recommend this one for anyone looking for a unique story in translation and for anyone who wants a very interesting exploration of grief.

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298. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Andy Weir will always be an auto-buy author for me. I don't know if I'll get to his books right away, but you bet that book will always be preordered.

After hearing so many good things about PROJECT HAIL MARY, I finally told myself to start reading Weir's latest. The hype doesn't lie--just like with THE MARTIAN, weird somehow made a book heavy with science and tech talk feel like a hilarious adventure.

For anyone who wasn't a big fan of Weir's second novel, keep in mind that this one is more in line with THE MARTIAN, just definitely a bit more science fiction. Weir's famous wit is mixed into some seriously interesting science as the MC races to save the world from a sun-ending parasite. The way that the past and present were braided together made the story flow so well and I liked that we slowly had information given to us AND the MC.

I really loved the connection between the characters in the present time, and enjoyed the back and forth of the characters in the past. That wit and banter in both made me laugh a few times, or at least smile. And despite this being a bit of a lengthier read, it flowed so well! (The only reason why there is such a gap in my reading is because I had to pause and focus on other books first). But even as I was reading the other books, I couldn't stop think about this one and what would happen to the MC and his new friend.

While THE MARTIAN will always be my favourite by Weir, this one is a close second. It had that fun energy that his debut had and kept me hooked. The MC and his new friend were great together and I loved their bond of their need to protect each others' homes.

I highly recommend this one if you're looking for a science fiction book that isn't too heavily science fiction, save for a few aspects, but could also technically be speculative fiction set in space.

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299. The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE STARS BENEATH OUR FEET was one of those books that I went into fully blind and without any sort of hype. It has lived on my bookshelf for years and I finally picked it up in an attempt to tackle my physical book collection.

There were times where I almost DNFed because I was wary of the MC and how his grief was driving him down a very not-nice road. I find that even though these books are sometimes tough reads, I do appreciate them being middle grade reads because it will hopefully help a young teen who is in need of reading a similar experience in their lives.

But ultimately, I loved the character growth. I liked that the MC takes accountability for his actions and although he ends up making decisions that work better for him, he still has his human moments where his questions what is right and what is wrong. And through it all, we see his best friendship grow and face some pretty heavy obstacles. We also see him making a new and unexpected friend and I really liked how that was approached and that representation.

The messiness of grief is also a big topic in this book, and also the queer representation that wasn't made into a plot line but was just a fact was refreshing.

I thought this book was also a great allegory for following your dreams even when everyone else thinks they know what you need or want. At the age that the MC is, a lot of people think they're the ones with the power to determine what a kid should or shouldn't do with their lives, but I liked that he made his own decisions--even if they were difficult choices in the end.

I think this would be a great read for anyone who loves LEGO, anyone who wants stories that explore grief and how it affects a family, and the difficult decisions made when one lives in a community full of gang violence and at-risk youth.

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300. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Definitely one of those books I had to restart a couple of times, read the synopsis to remind myself why I was reading it (LOL), and then had to sit with while listening to the notes at the end of the audiobook.

This book hits hard and I ended up getting hooked on it. I feel like this is definitely one of those books that could be read more than once in the future. It was such an incredibly powerful read. It was such an interesting take on humanity and how lonely it can feel, even when surrounded.

There were definitely some jarring moments, but the way everything was described made it so easy to see everything in my mind. I could easily imagine the land the women explored and the way everything started changing as time went on.

I think one of the most fascinating things about this book was how we get to see the story form from such a young perspective and then we watch her grow and see how the perception of her world changes. She has a wholly different experience than the other women, simply because of her age. We get to see how the idea of womanhood changes throughout the years as she navigates this strange world, which is something that the other characters never really get to do.

The end of the audiobook had some great commentary on the novel and offered deeper explanations of the themes in I WHO HAVE NEVER KNOWN MEN. Some of the important points centred around consumerism, feminism, and sexuality.

Overall, though the story itself feels bleak, there's a certain level of hope that you can't help but feel for this lonely character. And though learning where they could be was certainly a twist, it could also be a sign of new beginnings away from the humanity that kept them encaged.

___

301. Forgotten Romance by Saxon James--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'm so sad to see this series end!!!! These two idiots were so in love.

This was one of my more anticipated reads in this series and while it wasn't a favourite, I still loved their love story. It wasn't as spicy as the other books, but the tension and chemistry was there between the two.

I loved seeing the side characters and the kids were hilarious and adorable. I found the ending a little too easy BUT I still liked it.

I'm really sad to see this series end, especially because there was one character who deserved an HEA. But I'm excited to see what new series Saxon James does next!

___

302. The Black Girl Survives in This One by Various--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE BLACK GIRL SURVIVES IN THIS ONE was at times hilarious (because of the twist in the usual cliches), entertaining, and terrifying. Some stories were better than others, but overall the collection was a great exploration of how we perceive Black characters in horror. I loved the intro to the stories because it expressly mentions the portrayal of Black characters in horror media, so you kind of have a very clear picture of what's coming next.

First, I want to say that it was very refreshing knowing that no matter how dire the situation was in a story, the Black character survived. Not a spoiler, it's literally in the title.

That first story HOOKED me, it was my favourite and immediately creeped me out. I think that of all the stories, that one was the one that really scared me. I remember I was listening to the audiobook at night, while brushing my teeth, and I had to pause what I was doing to fully feel that terror that crept in during the story. The reveal of said story had me wondering if I had locked the doors of the house and the twist at the end had me yelling out because while not wholly unpredictable, it was just such a classically great ending to a scary story.

As I mentioned before, some stories were better than others and some were outright weird. Some stories I wish we had for longer moments than a few pages in an anthology, while others I thought were too long.

Overall, if you're looking for a scary anthology for this upcoming Halloween season, I highly recommend this one. You get a good dose of terror with your social awareness of how media treats characters that aren't caucasian. You'll especially feel this when a certain group of people become the victims in these stories.

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303. The Pairing by Casey McQuiston--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE PAIRING is probably the spiciest book McQuiston has written, but in my opinion, it's also the most sensual. I really liked how they wrote this story and how they presented this relationship. I liked how messy the characters were, but how they found each other in their own unique way.

And trust me, I know this can be polarizing--the conflict of their love and how they find themselves in the end.

But I loved it. I loved the back and forth and the sexual tension that kept building and building as the book progressed. The travel and the wine and the food--these were all aphrodisiacs for a relationship that shuns the conventional ways of viewing a relationship. I remember it took me a moment to adjust to the idea that these two characters were so sexually active after their relationship ended because past romances have (falsely) taught me to believe that the only way to show love is to be abstinent until the reconnection happens. But not every great romance is the same.

I genuinely loved their sexual chemistry and how their relationship evolved into what it is by the end of the book. They are literally on a tour of over-indulgence so it's only fair that they over-indulge.

But beyond the chemistry, I genuinely enjoyed the commentary on the food and wine. It was informative and gave the book an interesting fullness so the story didn't solely focus on the romance. I felt like I was going on tour with these two and was enjoying their company along the way.

The star loss comes from a few things. One being how the miscommunication was once again a star player in this romance. While I DID love learning about their history together, I thought it should have been a strong enough history for them to communicate beyond the initial misunderstanding.

Another reason for the loss of the star is that I felt this one was a little on the long side. There were moments that would fly past, but then I'd hit these patches where the story would just lag and it ruined the rhythm of the book for me. Overall, this felt like one of those books where I felt every hour passing of the audiobook, whereas there are some books where I don't even notice the time passing.

Overall, I really enjoyed the characters and their romance. I liked them individually too and how much they showcased their growth after their breakup. One of the best things McQuiston did for this book was making it have a dual-POV narrative. Reading this from the other side added a wholly different level of angst for the romance between the two MCs.

I'd recommend this if you love travel, food, wine, and a whopping amount of sexual tension. While it isn't the spiciest book on the market, it definitely has a very fun sensual element. It presents an interesting side of sexual connectivity that we don't often see in traditionally published books and, trust me, my pansexual self was very content with some of the things mentioned in this book.

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304. The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Honestly, this was cute but not spicy enough to get that "spicy romance" byline.

This was, for all intents and purposes, a hallmark movie put into a book. The romance was kind of quick and didn't have a lot of body to it. The MMC is self-aware enough to know that he tends to fall too hard and fast, so I was surprised (not) when he falls so heavily for the FMC.

I always find it fascinating how certain books get hyped up for their spiciness and then only have a couple of scenes of spice. It's not that I want a book with a lot of spice--I enjoyed this for what it was--but I know some people will jump into this one and be disappointed.

The story itself was cute and cavity sweet. The romance was a little insta-romancey, but it had a surprising mystery. While everything was a bit predictable, it was still fun to guess with the characters to see whodunit. This added layers to the story that made it harder to put down.

My biggest gripe is with the FMC and how much of a pushover she was during the whole thing. Someone does something scary around her store? Let me not call the cops because I don't want to be a nuisance! Her decision-making skills were truly something else. And you're telling me this woman was once the secretary of a CEO? Please. He would have eaten her alive.

And back to the spice--this wasn't closed door, but like, the scenes were BBQ chips level of spice. They were quick and just...shrug.

But again, I didn't stay for the spice. This was a cute romance I'd recommend for Autumn reading. LOL I HAVE ALREADY ORDERED THE OTHERS. Don't judge me too much.

___

Happy reading!

[chanelslibrary]

🌙𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰🌙

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory. She has trained her whole life to slay wyrms and defend her people against The Nameless One. But none have appeared in years and people are having doubts. In the north, Queen Sabran of Inys has married the King of Hroth and solidified two unstable realms. Their daughter, Glorian, has the duty of stepping out behind their shadows to eventually rule two vast empires. In the East, Dumai loves her quiet life in the Seiikinese mountain temple. Soon someone will upend her peace and the long slumber of the dragons many thought would never end. Why are volcanic eruptions causing panic and chaos across the lands? And how will these women connect, collide, and come together to protect humankind from a monstrous threat?

I can’t praise this book enough!!! It was a total five star read (and a THICK book!)! Game of Thrones is one of my favorite series to watch and read, and this book blew it out of the water!! ADOFN has everything I didn’t know GOT was missing: diversity (!!), queer characters/storylines, and women written well.

ADOFN has kindgoms/queendoms, dragons/wyrms, warriors, political schemes, tasteful smut and all the great parts of any fantasy but it centers around female characters. It shows their complex nature, the good and bad, their relationships, their strengths and struggles. I recommend this book to anyone who is a true fantasy fan. It is the prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree, but you can read either book first.

Read if you love:

🐉 Dragons/wyrms

⚔️Fantasy

🌈LGBTQ rep

✊🏾Diversity rep

[whilereadingandwalking]

Today I was shopping at B&N and saw something exciting…my VERY FIRST front cover blurb! Thanks for blurbing my Booklist review, Flatiron Books! And shoutout to Elektra by Jennifer Saint.

[davyreads]

review of tomi adeyemi’s children of anguish and anarchy

zélie confronts her final enemy, the king of a foreign land who hunts her heart.

"i'm not ready for our story to end."

children of anguish and anarchy is the final entry in tomi adeyemi's legacy of orisha trilogy, and it was preceded by commercial and critical successes children of blood and bone and children of virtue and vengeance. this final book continues where the second book left off, and readers are reunited with zélie, tzain, amari and inan, as they fight to free their people and save the life of an unknown girl. the plight of the maji has always been reminiscent of the struggles of the black community, but this is made even clearer and more visceral in this final installment.

keep reading for my personal thoughts (there will be spoilers)

the story follows zélie as she frees the maji from the captivity of those known only as the skulls, for the masks that they wear over their faces. after freeing her people, during the process of which an artefact from the skulls is embedded into her chest, zélie searches for a mystery girl and aims to save her life and protect her from the skulls and their monstrous power. whilst she does this with tzain and amari, inan returns with the rest of the maji to orisha to warn the rest of their people of the threat posed by the skulls. upon returning, they find their people still at war with one another, and they very quickly understand that in order to stand a chance against their new foes, they need to stop their infighting and unite. meanwhile, zélie, tzain and amari come across an island of people with different and unique gifts, and they find the girl they have been looking for. there are many time jumps, and a sacrifice made by one of our protagonists, but by the end, the maji and zélie’s new friend, mae’e, defeat the skulls.

the aspect of the trilogy that i really enjoyed, and that i have always enjoyed, has been the worldbuilding, and this final book carries on that legacy, and expands it to different continents. we’re introduced to new worlds and new abilities and, briefly, new systems of magic, with references to different cultures and mythologies. this is something that has never been an issue for this series, and i appreciate that this is something we get to enjoy to the very end of it.

another thing is that, as i said in the small blurb i wrote, the references to struggles faced by the black community from outside the community and within it have always been part and parcel of the series, and these themes have driven the story in an authentic way that allows readers to relate to the characters. i truly appreciate these inclusions and it helps the series maintain a flavour of what initially drew readers in to begin with. unfortunately, this final entry was a major disappointment to me, and it let me down greatly. the issues that i will discuss are the pacing, the characters, the story itself and its place in the trilogy.

i knew almost immediately that something wasn’t right, because the pacing was quite fast, and it felt abnormal. around 100 pages into the book, our characters have already staged a successful revolt without powers (mostly; with the exception of tzain, curiously); in any of the other books in the trilogy, this might not have really been an issue but since this book is shorter than the other 2, this is ultimately less than a third of the way through, and with the way the rest of the story is written and paced, this speed feels unnecessary, and it doesn’t feel like there was any point to this, because there was no clear compromise on any other aspect that could possibly explain this. there are many time jumps and skips and whilst these are good, and should be used, this just left the book feeling a bit spotty. when i think of my experience reading the book, there aren’t any actual gaps in my memory, it’s just that the timing of the novel is really bad, as much as it pains me to say. we don’t see any actual training for the characters, with the exception of a singular scene for zélie and tzain, if they can really be called that, but this takes me to my next grievance: the characters.

there is no development, and certain characters just straight up disappear (roën is nowhere to be found…?). the characters don’t change whatsoever. zélie is still zélie, amari is still amari (except she’s explicitly queer now, which i will discuss), and inan is still inan. tzain doesn’t really change either, he just gets a weapon (made from his own rib, which is pretty cool, i have to say), and whilst i can appreciate that he has felt powerless throughout the series as he has had to wait on the sidelines whilst the main action happens, this almost comes out of nowhere, and it felt like there was no buildup. i might even go as far as saying that there might have been a few out-of-character moments for some characters (inan consistently making terrible decisions even though he’s the closest we have to a military tactician was annoying to witness). this doesn’t seem as big of an issue as other aspects that i will discuss further, but it’s aggravating that with all these new threats and discoveries, everyone stays the same. inan sacrificing himself at the end of the novel felt like a very cheap way to shock the reader rather than it feeling like a necessary part of the story; in the book, it’s explained (kind of terribly) that inan must exchange his breath of life for zélie’s, and it is for that reason that inan dies and zélie lives, however it felt incredibly cheap and weak because nothing has changed about inan over the course of the novel to truly make us feel emotional at his death. it felt a bit like the ending of netflix���s chilling adventures of sabrina when nick scratch kills himself because it felt less like a needed part of the book and more like an attempt at shocking the viewers. i also think the book suffers from having too many perspectives, and i truly feel that tzain’s perspective was insignificant, especially seeing as with his point of view, we still know close to nothing about his training and what his experience in new gaia is like. this was really disappointing to read and very very annoying.

as i mentioned earlier, amari is explicitly confirmed to be queer, and many have read her as such since the first book, a popular pairing being zélie x amari. however, as much as i love queer stories, specifically black and african queer stories, this felt very lacklustre. amari meets mae’e and they pretty much fall in love instantly, with a short and uninteresting throwaway line from tzain where he remarks that amari looks at mae’e the same way she used to look at him (pg. 270). personally, this wasn’t very satisfying, and i can’t tell if it’s because the romance itself wasn’t convincing or if, in the context of the rest of the novel, this was just disappointing. the villain of this book is also very uninteresting and it got to a point whilst i was reading that i was waiting for the book to end because i felt so unstimulated by it, which really upsets me.

my final grievance that i will discuss is how well this novel works as an end to the trilogy, and the story itself. in short, i think this book was an incredibly disappointing and dissatisfying end to a beloved trilogy, and it truly hurts to say that, because there aren’t many times where i will see my culture written with such love and written so beautifully. this trilogy, in my opinion, really should have been a duology, and it should’ve ended after children of virtue and vengeance, perhaps with an epilogue that explored how their world was changed by the return of magic and how they are working to rebuild their country. this final instalment was so inconsequential, and really did not change much about the world of the trilogy, and because we were being introduced to so many new things in the shortest book of the trilogy, everything felt a bit out of place and time. nothing felt earned or deserved, and the only death that really moved me was one that didn’t even appear in the book (i miss you, imani). the epilogue was also very weak, in my opinion, because whilst it promises the hope of rebuilding lives and homes and orisha as a country, i think it would have been better placed at the end of the second book as it would have allowed the series to end on a high note.

[coffeebooksandmore]

A bad reading habit of mine is starting a book with expectations of it changing my life. I don’t do this often, but lately I’ve been wanting more escapism from my books. “To A God Unknown” was suggested to me and I’m so glad for once, my initial expectations were low. I thought to myself, it’s okay if I don’t read most of it, I can pick it up later.

Thankfully I knew from the first chapter this one was special. Steinbeck wrote a story where even silences have meaning. The imagery of the California landscape will never leave me, it was so transformative. We are all looking for meaning in our lives and trying to connect to something greater and reading Joseph’s journey made me feel closer to finding mine.

IG: coffeeandbookss

[sillytriumphdragon]

*the silent patient*

Author: Alex Michaelides

Genre: Thriller

Rating: 4.5 ⭐

From the very beginning of this book, I was hooked. I found myself so wrapped up in the story, invested in unraveling the mystery behind why Alicia murdered her husband.

Michaelides does an excellent job in creating a story filled with things and characters that are meant to keep you guessing.

Written in five parts with very short chapters, this made for one fast read that was hard to put down. It's so easy to burn through a lot of pages when you think,

"Well this chapter has 3 pages, I can keep going." And the twist? That twist? I found myself continuously changing my theories as more and more details surfaced, and I truly didn't see that twist coming until it was right under my nose.

Favorite dialogue:

*“Choosing a lover is a lot like choosing a therapist. We need to ask ourselves, is this someone who will be honest with me, listen to criticism, admit making mistakes, and not promise the impossible?”*

[bigdreamsandwildthings]

Review: Mind Games by Nora Roberts

Rating: ★★★★/5

“But they held on to each other for another moment in that gold-tinged sunlight. And holding him, she didn’t need to look to know she hadn’t just unlocked her future. They’d unlocked theirs. It waited for them in the hills and forests of home.”

This is my first Nora Roberts experience, and I really enjoyed it! The simple writing combined with the atmosphere really drew me in.

Thea has a gift, passed down from her grandmother before her: she is psychic. The gift has not always served her, though, as it allowed her to see her mother and father murdered before her very eyes. The man who committed that atrocity rots in prison now, but he is equally gifted, and he won't leave Thea alone. She has to fortify her mind at every turn in order to keep him out. But when a stranger comes to town, a stranger who turns out to be not so strange after all, Thea knows it's time to get Riggs out of her head, once and for all.

What I enjoyed so much about this one is the atmosphere. I found it so cozy, imagining first Grammie's wonderful house and then Thea's sanctuary that she creates for herself. The Appalachian mountains, and the way its residents support and love each other, all really shine throughout the entirety of this saga, and give Thea's story a *feeling* to it unlike any other books I've read before.

And this is a saga. We get the entirety of Thea's life in these pages, and boy, that made it feel long at times. I found Thea's childhood to be longer than it should've been; I wish we got more time in her teenage years, maybe, or just some excess shaved off in general. There is a lot of time where not much happens, and really, even when Thea and Riggs are battling it out, nothing is "happening". Thea is still at home, as always. This isn't an action-packed adventure, not that it was meant to be, but it did sometimes feel stagnant to me because of that.

However, I really enjoyed Thea. She's sunshine in human form, and remarkably well-adjusted considering her past. The romance here doesn't start for a LONGGGG time, but when it did, I was here for it. I love me some wish fulfilment, and having her childhood rockstar crush just happen to move in next door, with an adorable son to boot, is the very definition of that. I enjoyed their developing relationship, and little Bray was a lovely addition to the story as a whole.

I would read another Nora book in the future after this one. Like I said, I found the writing simple, and sometimes the dialogue felt over-long (we didn't need to read Thea's explanation of her abilities to Ty, for instance; why wasn't that just summed up? We read it while it happened, we don't need the reminder) and just...like nothing an actual human would say? But at the same time, that made it all feel more cinematic than it would have otherwise. I felt like I was watching a movie in my mind, and it was fun.

[inmyperfectworld]

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[lizanneyoung97]

BOOK REVIEW: LOVE FOR ALL SEASONS BY D.A. HENNEMAN

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I am still on my Greek retellings kick, and this one was both about Hades and Persephone’s relationship and Hecate and Hermes. I am not super familiar with Hecate’s story, so it was great to see it told through the lens of her trying to help other people connect while unexpectedly falling herself. The relationship between Hades and Persephone had a different tone than others I’ve read recently, which I found intriguing. I usually see their relationship starting on negative terms, so it was nice to see something blossom between them.

There are three other novellas in this series I am adding to my list. The next one is about Medusa, and I’m excited to read it.

[rlbookreviews]

Loving this fall book! Definitely a cozy read! I recommend all my fellow romance readers, very wholesome. And overall, I really enjoy reading this book.

So far, it’s about a teenage romance that ended at 18; but they met again 14 years later in their adult lives. Their lives have changed a lot, but some things haven’t changed. He’s a famous singer and she’s a school teacher. She never followed her dreams and he did.

Could Adam still love Vienna after all this time?

Could she let him?