#book series review

[magical-book-lush]

Prince Caspian, Book 4 | The Chronicles Of Narnia Book Review

Hello, people! How are you? I had a nice sleep after yesterday’s three blogs. It was hard but it made me sleep so nicely. I am now back again and today, I aim to write four blogs. I want to complete the entire Narnia series reviews today so that I can start working on the next series. I want to complete these blogs as soon as possible so that I can study properly without worrying about the…

View On WordPress

#2023 #adventure #August #blog posts #book review #Book Series Review #Books #C.S Lewis #classic books #classics #fantasy #Prince Caspian #Series #The Chronicles of Narnia

[monstersmutpeddler]

Big Bad Basilisks Series Review

By: Terry Bolryder

Overly Simplified Summary

Summary of the series as a whole.

Links to the individual book tags/recs:

Apex Basilisk (Big Bad Basilisks Book 01)

Primal Basilisk (Big Bad Basilisks Book 02)

Savage Basilisk (Big Bad Basilisks Book 03)

Monster Scale

Whats the overall scales

My Overall Rating For The Book

“Not A Fan Personally, But Some Scenes Are Cool and I Know Other People Might Like It”

I enjoyed the heck out of Book 01 in this series, it’s like, the perfect guilty pleasure book. But the next two were, not up my alley at all. I really really wanted to like it, but it just wasn’t for me. 

Highly recommend checking out Book 01 if you want some fun dumb western smut where the guy can win in a 10v1 fight. 

#monster smut #book review #book series review

[joysofescapism]

Review: Wicked Duet by Persephone Steele

I went in blind with this (no pun intended, I swear!). There were times when I was caught off-guard, that I had to put the book down for a few moments, but that did not stop me from finishing it.

The mystery and the gore made my skin buzz and I was not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. But I still enjoyed the experience.

Before you proceed, please take note that there will be spoilers in this review. If you haven’t read this duet yet and you want to enjoy the story and get into the ✨mystery✨ vibe, I suggest skipping this one.

Characters

I will start this section by saying these characters were the best among my favorite main characters.

Izabelle Wicked was one of my favorite heroines. She annoyed me with her rudeness, abrasiveness, and arrogance but those were a few of the reasons why I like her. Most of the time I do not like characters who monologue too much, but hers were entertaining. I love being inside her head, so to speak. She was a blind psychic so letting her emotions dictate her actions was shown perfectly in the story.

Lastly, despite having so many doubts and insisting that she did not need the heroes, I loved her thought process when she went about how her mother turned out and then she realized that she did not want to be like her and finally opened her heart.

Now, as for the heroes. I thought I would not like them nor would I care much for them. But they proved to be amazing as well.

Starting with Nicolas De Leon, the leader of the group and the one with anger issues. He was a control freak and a fucking asshole. He would always clash with Wicked (because they were both jerks) but I knew that there was more to him. I was right.

When he started to work on his issues and maturely analyzed what he needed to do to be with Wicked, god, I swooned. I was so annoyed for having a crush on a literal douchebag who was rude and toxic but was also protective and sweet for one woman. Yeah, I like that alot. Sigh, feminism jumped out of the window I supposed.

Next, Kai Zhao is the resident charming pretty boy. I was so sure that he was also going to be a typical manwhore because that was what Wicked thought of him BUT NO! Oh my god, he fell in love at first sight with her and it was so fucking cute. I screamed when I read about that. We were as blind as Wicked in this story since we discovered the truth with her.

Now, I knew that this was dark. But I thought it was because of the crime scenes and how vividly described they are, but man. Kai’s story was fucked up. Like really fucked up and I cried reading about what he had to go through. I also skimmed a lot because I could not handle how clear the picture was inside my head. And knowing how awful his backstory was and seeing how caring and happy-go-lucky he was as a character made me love him even more. I knew people like him who did not let the darkness take over their hearts and remained soft despite all the hardships. He was one of the more perfectly fleshed-out characters that I read about.

Lastly, Ezra Grayson as the deadly quiet guy. He was Wicked’s rock. Unmovable and unbreakable, except for when she was involved. I also thought that he would be a typical quiet protective guy but I was wrong again. He was a polar bear. I likened characters to polar bears who were extremely deadly and could annihilate a person but also were the sweetest marshmallows to their loved ones.

I loved the complexity of his character. He was closed off but also the only one (among the three heroes) who quickly opened up to Wicked. He seemed to be like someone who wanted to remain unseen but he also knew what he wanted and would get it. He always put Wicked first. Frankly, his devotion to her was intoxicating. I wish I could have more words to do his character justice because his characterization was one of my favorites. We love a good paradoxical character.

Plot

Gosh. Where do I even start?

I am not a huge mystery connoisseur but I will say that this was one of the few where I was not entirely sure of my deductions.

I even became suspicious of one of the main characters because I had no idea who the stalker was. The red herring in the story worked out well. Most of the time I would still be able to catch the culprit but I did not this time.

Ending

Despite my dissatisfaction with the stalker not being killed, I understood that it was the perfect form of justice. Not being able to get what they wanted was the best punishment for them.

Again, I would commend the author because I did not see that coming. I was suspicious of that woman (Abby?) and I knew that there was a reason why she was somewhat a constant in this story but I did not expect her to be the stalker. It felt like I was just as blind for not seeing things.

I wanted to say that it did not make sense but at the same time, I knew that was not true. Even when it was revealed that there was a mistress involved, and then later on confirmed that she was a witness to the accident that took away Wicked’s dad and ability to see, I did not think about her being the stalker. My focus was on the chief as the primary suspect. Even when he revealed his reasons, I was still suspicious of him. I ignored all the possible clues.

Ah, I really enjoyed this duet. This was how the mystery stalker books should be.

Rating

I gave this duet a 4 out of 5 stars.

Reading books without looking at reviews beforehand was the best way to go. It did not warp my perspective and I have a clean slate to form my own opinions.

My only problem was getting smacked by vivid descriptions of assault and torture. It was not the author’s fault, of course. I just wasn’t ready. I am familiar with dark fiction and read a lot of it. I also have experience reading extremely depraved pitch-black stuff that will leave you shaking and numb, but I was expecting all of those. Contrary to Wicked, I was not ready. Perhaps because the main character’s quirks took all the spotlight. The ambiance was light enough that I did not expect all that darkness. Then again, it was what I loved about it.

GoodReads | Storygraph | Instagram

#book series review #wicked duet #murder mystery #dark romance #whychoose #reverse harem #rating: 4/5 stars #spice level: 5/5 #theme: law enforcers #harem size: small (3-4)

[elinsreadingcorner]

Series Review: 'The Country Girls Trilogy' - Edna O'Brien

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3.5 out of 5. Summary Caithleen Brady and Baba Brennan, two young girls from County Clare, are the main characters in the trilogy, which follows them from childhood through adolescence, marriage, emigration to Dublin and eventually London, and the horrible realisations of adulthood. The trilogy consists of The Country Girls (Review here), The Lonely Girl, and Girls in Their…

View On WordPress

#bildungsroman #Book Blog #Book Blogger #Book Review #book series review #Edna O&039;Brien #ficiton #Girls in their married bliss #Literature #the country girls #The country Girls trilogy #The lonely girl

[definitelynotisabel]

rachel slander needs to stop. if i knew percy i would’ve shot my shot too

#you would too #they could never make me hate you #percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #percy series #pjo #pjo series #annabeth chase #percy and annabeth #chb #books #bookish #booklr #book recommendations #books and reading #aaron warner #book review #currently reading #bookworm #she’s just like me fr #she’s just a girl

[littlemissinkdrinker]

Endgames

"Endgames" by L.E. Modesitt Jr.

I didn't think it was possible but I actually really, really, really enjoyed this one. Charyn is the only character in this entire damn series that shows meaningful character growth. Funny how it took the first non-imager main character for that to be achieved. Despite that, I'm happy to be finished with this series. It was a serious drag for most of the serabo

Read : Sep 15th - Sep 20th, 2022

Rating : 4 stars

#l.e. modesitt jr #book review #book series review #almost an author review #though I don't really talk about what I don't like about Modesitt in this particular review

[bookcred]

emily wilde's encyclopaedia of fairies; heather fawcett

#review #reviews #book #books #booktok #booklr #books & libraries #books and reading #aesthetic #emily wilde #emily wilde’s encyclopaedia of faeries #emily wilde's map of the otherlands #emily wilde series #heather fawcett #wendell bambleby #ya books #pretty books #favorite books

[choices-and-voices]

Quotes from Kieran that straight-up sound like Shakespearean love poetry: a comprehensive list

‘None may touch me. None but you.’

‘What is left of my heart belongs to you. When you leave, it will shatter anew.’

‘Tell me I did not hurt you.’

‘How am I expected to pass another century without the taste of you on my tongue?’

‘After so many decades spent hating each sunset, knowing nightfall would take my freedom from me... I began to yearn for the moonrise instead of cursing it. Because dreams of you might be waiting on the other side.’

‘I would rather be cursed to roam the wilds as a beast every night than live endless lifetimes without you.’

‘Wherever it is that souls may go, you will find mine waiting for you at the end of all things.’

‘You shall pay dearly for every spilled drop of her blood.’

‘I was not lying. Were you?’

‘Just this once, beloved... I wish you could not lie.’

‘You hold all of my heart, beloved. Now, and always.’

‘I would make and unmake the world for you, beloved.’

‘Believe me when I say I want every part of you. Every version. Now and future.’

‘Look, beloved. Your skin is a canvas covered in stars.’

‘If I were you, I would begin by thanking her and throw yourself on her continued mercy. Because you’ll get none from me.’

‘What would be the point of immortality without you?’

‘No magic. Like an everyday mortal.’

‘Insult her again, and I will carve my refusal into your flesh, so that you may never forget it.’

‘I don’t care what your title is. Every breath, every beat of my heart belongs to you. You are mine for life.’

‘Thank you… for sharing the sky with me.’

‘If you lay a single hand on her, there will be nothing left of this place but a hole in the ground.’

‘Let us live in this moment long enough that I may love you the way you deserve.’

‘I will let nothing separate us… I shall always find you. Your heart calls to mine in a language beyond words.’

‘For you I would set worlds aflame, tear the sun and moon from the sky. I did not live before I met you.’

‘Perhaps you are the most courageous of all, for choosing to live among us. A mortal among gods.’

‘Welcome home, beloved.’

‘You helped me find peace in my grief. I will always help you find peace in yours.’

‘You sacrifice too much for me, beloved.’

‘I cannot give you my heart. It already belongs to someone else.’

‘There will always be tasks vying for our attention. But you are more important to me than any of them.’

‘I like being in here. I always want you to have the freedom of a place to call your own… and it means everything, that you welcome me in.’

(And finally, BONUS: Quotes from *other* characters in The Cursed Heart that straight-up sound like Shakespearean poetry, because the writers of this book just do. not. rest.)

‘I know you. I’m not afraid.’

‘I love him so terribly, it hurts.’

‘You are so much stronger than you know. And a love as strong as this is worth fighting for.’

‘Even if you kill me, I’m glad I met you. Because you deserve to be happy. You deserve to be loved. And I will love you until my very last breath.’

‘The world is rarely gentle to those who are so kind. It is you who must be the strongest of all.’

‘What do you want with that cursed thing?’ / ‘To cut the Sun and the Moon from the sky.’

‘Anything here that wishes to eat me had best prepare to choke.’

‘I know you. And I love you. Both your darkness and your light.’

‘You are everything I want. Just you. Just like this.’

‘If love could forestall death, we would all be immortal.’

‘All stories end. Even ours. That’s what makes them beautiful.’

‘I don’t care where I sleep, so long as it’s beside you.’

#UPDATE: the series is finished and so is this list #and i am so so sad to say goodbye to it #but what a journey it’s been #playchoices #choices: stories you play #the cursed heart #kieran x mc #prince kieran #fandom essay #original post #prev tags: #i went back through every screenshot i’ve ever posted to make this list #and i will continue to review every screenshot i ever take #and it was and will continue to be worth every minute #this book deserves an award

[lixforgor]

it's always hilarious (and a little alarming) when i think about a piece of media and then go on tumblr and it's trending

#hunger games #<- spent all night considering buying the book series again #decided to watch a bunch of reviews/reactions to the movies #apparently there's like a prequel book about snow now #so i gotta read it #the hunger games

[genericpuff]

yeah i don't think this is the kind of advertising rachel needs right now-

#again rachel doesn't really have anything to do directly with this situation BUT #cait still included LO as one of the series she inflated the rating of with 5 stars alongside her own book #correlation doesn't equal causation #but it's still really telling that these are the kinds of works cait simps for to the point of RATING THEM HIGHLY IN HER REVIEW BOMBING #when they're really so problematic and controversial at their core #and are laced with so much casual misogyny and racism #the latter of which cait has a LOT of #though 'casual' racism is really understating it #she promoted herself from casual to competitive ranked racism #and yeah that includes touch of darkness as well which she also rated high with her alts and it's literally just LO: The Wattpad Novel #cait corrain #oh and sidenote #her 'apology' was not a real apology at ALL lmao #it literally opened up IMMEDIATELY with her using her medication as an excuse #for RACISM #watch out y'all you don't wanna take the depression meds that come with racism as a side effect /s #lore olympus critical #lo critical #anti lore olympus

[maddiesbookshelves]

A Natural History of Dragons, by Marie Brennan

The memoirs of Lady Trent narrate the life and research of Isabella Trent, world-renowned naturalist now an old woman, whose wit and humor are merciless towards imbeciles. In the first tome, Isabella, first as a young girl and then a young woman, challenges class and period conventions to satisfy her scientific curiosity and accompany her husband on an expedition in search for dragons in Vystrana...

I was scared that the memoirs format was going to be boring to read, but it was actually the best way to tell the life story of a woman who has lived so many adventures, I really liked it. The good thing about memoirs is that it allowed Isabella's personality to shine, especially her humor, and to have some hindsight on what happened. The teases about future events that she reveals later in the series really make you want to read what's next

Volume 1 introduces themes and ideas that I thought were fleshed out better later in the series, and what I considered as small flaws (a lot of things were repeated so many times I started thinking "yeah, okay, I get it") are way less prominent

As for Brennan's worldbuilding, it's deceptively simple at first glance (Victorian era but make it fantasy), but actually had so many details that make it extremely rich. Everything is inspired by countries/cultures from the real world, but Brennan mixed a lot of them and I thought it was really well executed. And the further along you get in the series, the more details sprinkled in the first 3 books come together to form the final picture. When I got to the end of book 4, I wanted to scream because of how delightful and well put together the reveals were

French version under the cut

Les mémoires de lady Trent racontent la vie et les recherches d'Isabelle Trent, naturaliste mondialement connue et désormais vieille dame, dont l'esprit et le style empreints d'humour s'avèrent sans pitié pour les imbéciles. Dans le premier volume, Isabelle, petite fille puis jeune femme, brave les conventions de sa classe et de son temps pour satisfaire sa curiosité scientifique et accompagner son mari lors d'une expédition à la recherche des dragons de Vystranie...

J'avais peur que le format des mémoires soit un peu ennuyant à lire, mais en fait c'était la meilleure façon de raconter la vie d’une femme qui a vécu autant d’aventures, j’ai beaucoup apprécié. L'avantage des mémoires c'est que ça permettait au personnage d'Isabelle de nous dévoiler sa personnalité, notamment son humour, et d'avoir du recul sur certains évènements. Les références à des évènements qu'elle nous dévoile plus tard dans la série donnait vraiment envie de lire la suite

Le tome 1 introduit des thèmes et des idées que j’ai trouvées mieux développées dans les tomes suivants, et ce que je considérais comme de petits défauts (pas mal de choses sont répétées de nombreuses fois donc au bout d’un moment je me disais "oui, c’est bon, j’ai compris") sont beaucoup moins présents

En ce qui concerne le monde créé par Brennan, il paraît relativement simple au premier abord (époque victorienne mais version fantasy), mais en réalité, énormément de détails le rendent extrêmement riche. Tout est inspiré de pays/cultures du monde réel, mais mélange pas mal de trucs et j’ai trouvé que c’était très bien fait. Et au plus on avance dans la série, au plus les détails disséminés dans les ~3 premiers tomes s'emboîtent et le tableau final se précise. Quand je suis arrivée à la fin du tome 4 j'avais envie de hurler tellement les révélations étaient croustillantes et bien amenées

#the memoirs of lady trent #lady trent #a natural history of dragons #memoirs of lady trent #marie brennan #books #book series #book reviews #booklr #booklr community #book recs #book recommendations

[magical-book-lush]

The Vanishing Of Aveline Jones • Book Review

Hello everyone. How is life going? I am reading and watching a lot of K-Dramas and Friends as I am trying to journal for October already. HALLOWEEN IS COMING EARLY FOR ME!!! I can’t wait to get to Halloween month already. Halloween is almost here when I am writing the rest of this introduction. I know I am a bit late to this review but life has it’s way of getting between me and my blogging…

View On WordPress

#5 Series &amp; 5 Stand-alone Books Challenge #5 stars #blog posts #book review #Book Series Review #Books #Halloween #Halloween special #Halloween time #horror #Horror Reviews #Middle-Grade Novels #must try #October #Phil Hickes #Series #Series Review #The Haunting Of Aveline Jones #The Vanishing of Aveline Jones

[monstersmutpeddler]

The Spider’s Mate Trilogy

By: Tiffany Roberts

Overly Simplified Summary

Summary of the series as a whole.

Links to the individual book tags/recs

Ensnared (Book 01)

Enthralled (Book 02)

Bound (Book 03)

Monster Scale

Level 05: Advanced Monsterfuckery

These guys are spider centaur dudes. 

My Overall Rating For The Book

“Not A Fan Personally, But Some Scenes Are Cool and I Know Other People Might Like It”

I really wanted to like this series, there was so much good stuff in it. I just, couldn’t get into it as much as I would’ve liked. And no, it’s not because of the alien spiders, that was a 10/10, it was some plot stuff and characters that just grinded my gears just a little too much. 

If you like Tiffany Roberts other works, you might get a kick out of this one, just know that two characters are going to make you want to lose it. 

#book reviews #book series review #monster smut

[joysofescapism]

Review: A Knight's Revenge Series by Elizabeth Dear

I may not be impressed by this series, but I still finished it for the plot. You can read my full review below.

It is hard to draft a concise and detailed review when everything is… subpar, except for these book covers.

This may have fitted more with a fantasy theme but we will still appreciate great cover artists here.

Time and time again, I keep having high expectations for books or series with so much praise and hype only to be disappointed in the end. But I guess that is my fault.

Anyway, these are the bulleted reasons why I finished A Knight’s Revenge instead since I cannot dissect it my usual way.

The plot is intriguing enough. I wanted to know what happens next despite already having an idea.

I wanted all the villains to die. The villains were only there to trigger you and annoy you. No personalities at all. Just caricatures with no compelling motivations whatsoever only made to further the revenge trope. They were only there to be killed/maimed by the main characters.

I was expecting some kind of redemption further down the story since, just as I said, there was a lot of praise for this series. But it did not happen. I should have DNF-ed but, then again, please refer to the first reason.

I thought the smut would get better. But nope. If smut is not needed in the story just don’t include it, please. I’m all for unnecessary porn on my books. I love it in fact. But, if the intention is to stimulate but fails to do its purpose just do a fade to black. It just all added to the disappointment I already had.

And that’s all of it. I still do not think that this series deserves anything lower than 3 stars, I finished it after all. Also, in my CAWPILE system, enjoyment still got a 7.

The rating I gave is for the entire series. I cannot rate each book since this trilogy could have been one book in my opinion.

GoodReads | Storygraph | Instagram

#book series review #a knight's revenge series #author: elizabeth dear #whychoose #reverse harem #new adult romance #theme: academy #theme: rich families #rating: 3/5 stars #spice level: 3/5 #harem size: small (3-4)

[bonefall]

I do feel bad for Owen. Clearly this is NOT his forte. #freeowen

I'm guessing Owen has some kind of contract to do all the covers for the "Erin Hunter" books, since he also seems to do the art for Bravelands and Survivors. Which baffles me.

When you look at his portfolio, it seems clear that animals are NOT his strong suit. He mostly designs them as monsters or setpieces, not as characters in their own right. His humans, objects, and backgrounds are excellent, while his animals are quite generic-- So why did they choose this artist to design for their xenofiction series?

The art he does for Percy Jackson and Artemis Fowl is not as jilted and uninspired as his work for any of the Erin Hunter series. He does have a thing for harsh lighting (too harsh for my taste) but the composition is fine and the characters are recognizable. Certainly not "someone tried to unlock your phone" tier. It's strange.

It strikes me like he's not "comfortable" enough with animals to experiment with them, heavily referencing zoomed-in photos and leaving it there. Note how his cats are almost never doing anything, just sitting or standing around looking confused.

Has he ever even drawn a battle cat... battling?

I don't really feel "bad" for him, OR "mad" at him, because we have no idea what's happening behind the scenes, but I WILL say that I feel he is an absolutely awful match for WC. I don't understand what about his portfolio made him look like a good replacement for Wayne McLoughlin, besides some executive recognizing his style from somewhere else.

I hope he is compensated well for his work, but I don't buy hardcovers because of his art and am holding out hope that someone else takes over someday.

#Im not being mean about that last part btw i really hope that comes across #I am hoping it comes across as 'product review' and not bashing #Because I'm dead serious that his art is a major reason I never buy the books in good condition #I always get them secondhand or digital #I own the *dotc* books because of Wayne's art. The arc I notoriously hate to oblivion #But I dislike how Owen's covers *look* on my shelf. #Bone babble #Man it's unfortunate that James Barry has departed the series but Owen remains #As much as I adore the new comic direction btw!!!! God I love the upcoming art im buying it on release day

[kittensandforeheadkisses]

I am NOT going to let a one star review on goodreads ruin the emotional euphoria I got after finishing one of the best trilogies ever

#even tho that review had more than 1k likes #and its even turning into a series adaptation #ahhhhhh #as good as dead #a good girls guide to murder #agggtm #pipravi #pip and ravi #pip fitz amobi #ravi singh #goodreads #goodreads reviews #team pip and ravi #team pipravi #books #bookish things #bookish thoughts #booktok #bookstagram #book adaptation #bookaddict #bookish #bookism #bookish life #bookblr #trilogy #txt