This Could Be Us review

 Book: This Could Be Us

Author: Kennedy Ryan

Pages: 416

Date(s) Read: February 1^st, 2025 to March 1^st, 2025

Date Published: March 5^th, 2024

Rating: 5/5

Genre:  Romance

Characters: 5/5

Writing style: 5/5

Story: 5/5

Ending:  5/5

Cover: 5/5

Format: Soft Cover

Date Bought: December 12^th, 2024.

Book Cost: 11.99

Favorite Quotes:

“She loves an underserving man. It’s a sorrow most women experience at some point in their lives, whether it’s a father who neglects or a son who forgets or a husband who betrays”.

“I am the love of my life. I have learned to love myself without judgment or condition”.

Review:

This Could Be Us is a magnificent, poignant, and intense story about the deep-seated love we should have, not for others, but for ourselves. It's a story about the impassioned and ardent love of the self. This novel is life-affirming, uplifting, and inspirational.

 

In this scintillating and sanguine work of fiction, we see Soledad Charles go from the life of a glamorous housewife to the life of a struggling single parent provider just trying to keep a roof over her head after her husband not only cheats on her but is jailed for embezzling money from his employer. During Soledad's sojourn of self-discovery, she has to tackle finding a way to survive and ultimately thrive on her own as the divorcee of an ex-con.  While confronting the devastation her ex-husband has left her with, she falls in love with Judah Cross, the man who put her husband in jail.

 

Soledad is a woman of incredible inner strength, compassion, and fortitude who is surrounded by friends and family that cherish and invigorate her. Relationships with the women in her lives are aspirational and inspirational. Frequently books geared towards women, especially romance, feature toxic love interests and harmful relationships. You won't find any of that negativity in this refreshing narrative.

 

I loved everything about this book from its cover to the last page. The book is a fast-paced page turner that even those who aren't into romance will love. It's the most inspirational and empowering work of fiction I've come across.  I can't recommend this novel enough; every woman should have a copy of This Could Be Us on her shelves. 

 

One Dark Window review

 Book: One Dark Window

Author: Rachel Gillig

Pages: 432

Date(s) Read: January 31^st, 2025 to February 27^th, 2025

Date Published: September 27^th, 2022

Rating: 5/5

Genre:  Gothic Fantasy

Characters: 5/5

Writing style: 5/5

Story: 5/5

Ending:  5/5

Cover: 3/5

Format: Soft Cover

Date Bought: October 28^th, 2024

Book Cost: $9.16

Favorite Quotes:

“The girl, the king , and the monster they became”.

Review:

One Dark Window is an engaging and gripping work of gothic fantasy. It's atmospheric with witty banter, likable characters, an intriguing premise, and an easy to read writing style.

 

In One Dark Window Elspeth Spindle harbors a secret, she has a monster in her head. When she crosses paths with a mysterious highway man she is thrust into a world of covert operations and treason. To free their land Blunder of a magical illness that has stricken the people for generations, she allows herself to be publicly courted by Ravyn Yew while they and his allies surreptitiously search for the remaining cards in a magical deck of cards that will help them free Blunder and the people they love of the dark magic engulfing the providence.

 

No part of this book overstays its welcome and I found myself completely engrossed in Elspeths world. Elspeth is a formidable heroine who's at war with the monster in her head, making for compelling dialogue. The Dichotomy of the two warring personalities within Elspeth is fascinating. I was completely absorbed. The romance is gratifying and well written. The cast of characters are interesting and unique. There's really nothing negative I can say about this book.

 

If you love gothic fantasy with a smidge of horror then you should rush out and pick this book up. Get the sequel too while you're at it because it ends on a cliffhanger that will have you desperate to know what happens next.

The Ippos King review

 Book: The Ippos King

Author: Grace Draven

Pages: 374

Date(s) Read: January 12^th, 2025 to February 17^th, 2025.

Date Published: October 6^th, 2020

Rating: 4/5

Genre:  Fantasy

Characters: 5/5

Writing style: 5/5

Story: 5/5

Ending:  5/5

Cover: 3/5

Format: Soft Cover

Date Bought: May 18^th, 2023

Book Cost: 14.99

Favorite Quotes:

“We live for those we love. We Die for those we love”.

“She had made him laugh, made him lust, and most of all made him forget the nightmares that plagued his sleep”.

Review:

The Ippos King is the third book in consummate fantasy author Grace Draven's Wraith Kings series. In this book we see Serovek and Anhuset team up to take Megiddos body back to his fellow monks. During the trip they are attacked and betrayed while also falling in love.

 

This book was well-written and fast-paced, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. That being said it is a very dense book, a lot of things happen and the book takes its time getting to them. There are some times when I feel I had to slog through the book a bit. Despite its minor shortcomings overall this was a fantastic addition to the series.

 

I love Anhuset and Serovek as characters and as a couple. Serovek is charming, flirtatious, and brave, while Anhuset is a fierce femme fatale. Anhuset's pride and confidence waver during Serovek's flirty banter. It was fun seeing such a tough character soften and grow throughout the book. Her feelings for Serovek make her relatable.

 

While I genuinely enjoy most romantasy I read I find they can be lacking in depth and maturity. Grace Draven's writing is such a breath of fresh air. It's a nice change and I wish there were more books with relationships like the ones she writes. The romance she writes is at times more developed, mature, and deeper than what I typically read. If you're looking for impassioned romantasy then I recommend Grace Dravens work.

The Queens Rise review

 Book: The Queens Rise

Author: Bethany Atazadeh

Pages: 514

Date(s) Read: January 4^th, 2025 to February 11^th, 2025

Date Published: October 1^st, 2024

Rating: 3/5

Genre:  Fantasy

Characters: 2/5

Writing style: 5/5

Story: 3/5

Ending:  4/5

Cover: 5/5

Format: Hard Cover

Date Bought: October 17^th, 2024

Book Cost: 29.99

Review:

The Queens Rise is a fast-paced omnibus about your archetypical fantasy evil queen. I found this book at times engaging, page-turning, and enthralling but there were other times I felt like I really had to slog through this book. It's a good book, don't get me wrong, but it's not without its major flaws.

 

In The Queens Rise, we follow Jezebel, a Jinni girl with the power to shapeshift. In her world, shapeshifting is considered too powerful a gift, and shapeshifters are often feared. When her friends discover her abilities, Jezebel has to make some tough decisions about what to do next.  Jezebel is a likable female lead who is highly pragmatic, ambitious, and determined. Unfortunately, most of the other characters are pretty weak in comparison with little personality and powers that pale in comparison. She's never really given a run for her money.  The world-building leaves a lot to be desired too. There's not enough depth or detail in the setting, culture, or people to make anything stand out as unique or particularly memorable. It all feels very generic fantasy.

 

The plot could have been much better in my opinion, it goes in weird and oftentimes meandering directions. The third book is a big shift from the first two and feels almost like the author came up with the idea on a whim with a whole other group of people thrown out there that aren't (to my memory) mentioned beforehand. It feels like it comes out of nowhere.

 

The lackluster characters, underwhelming world-building, and disappointing story are definitely huge flaws but the ending, the overall idea, and the writing itself save this book.

 

You won't be blown away from this book, and may even find yourself questioning some of the directions of the story but you'll be thoroughly entertained for the several hours it takes you to get through this behemoth of a book.  

An Academy for Liars review

 Book: An Academy for Liars

Author: Alexis Henderson

Pages: 450

Date(s) Read: January 3^rd, 2025 to February 3^rd, 2025

Date Published: September 17^th, 2024

Rating: 3/5

Genre:  Dark Academia

Characters: 4/5

Writing style: 5/5

Story: 3/5

Ending:  4/5

Cover: 3/5

Format: Soft Cover

Date Bought: N/A

Book Cost: 0.00

Favorite Quotes:

“He will never love you the way you want to be loved. And if you stay, he will love you even less, until one day you mean nothing to him.”

 

 

Review:

I was excited when I discovered that I had won a goodreads contest for a book I planned on buying. I'll be honest, after finishing this tome of a novel I'm glad I didn't have to pay for it. An Academy of Liars is a well-written mess of a book. This was a very peculiar and at times vexing book. Sometimes this book was riveting and engaging but more often than not the book was disconcerting and obtuse. Really the ending and the writing style are the saving grace. If this book was written by any other author this would have likely been a DNF.

 

Lennon Carter is a down-on-her-luck young twenty-something. Her fiancée is cheating on her, she has a lot of mental health problems and absolutely no direction. One night she gets a mysterious call, from a phone booth, telling her she's been accepted to the mysterious Drayton Academy. When she gets there for the entrance exam she's quickly whisked away into what seems like a whole other world. At Drayton Lennon learns how to do almost anything with the power of persuasion. It's an interesting and unique premise.

 

The magic/power system and world don't seem to ever quite have concrete grounding and you never feel sure you really have a grasp on the story, system, and world. I would have liked the fundamentals laid out more clearly, and a solid stable foundation for how exactly the power and world works. The characters, especially Lennon feel like they fall short too. Lennon never seems to take charge of her own life or have much direction on her own. She has always depended on the other men in her life for that and that never really changes though it's brought up. Other characters are a little more interesting but you don't get much insight into how they think or feel.

 

All in all, An Academy for Liars is not a bad book but it has major problems that really hold it back from being a great work of fiction. I think the writer should have spent a bit more time on this one. If you're looking for something odd and unique, it will definitely scratch that itch but at 450 pages it's quite the commitment.

 

Faebound review

 Book: Faebound

Author: Saara El-Arifi

Pages: 400

Date(s) Read: January 1^st, 2025 to January 22^nd, 2025

Date Published: January 23^rd, 2024

Rating: 4/5

Genre:  Fantasy

Characters: 3/5

Writing style: 5/5

Story: 5/5

Ending:  5/5

Cover: 3/5

Format: Soft Cover

Date Bought: November 29^th, 2024

Book Cost: 16.00

Favorite Quotes:

“To rule without honor is to rule without mercy”

“You are the fire of my heart, and the beat of my drum. I am yours under the moonlight. Until the rhythm sings no more”

Review:

I really loved the ending to this trilogy. This was another fast-paced quick read. Daiyu is as lovable as ever, her concern for others as well as the poor is touching. She's truly altruistic.

 

Faebound is a progressive fantasy that features a diverse and inclusive cast of characters. Initially, I was interested in Faebound because it has a strong female lead character but I stayed for the complex world-building and will-they wont-they romance.

 

In Faebound we follow Yeeran, a disgraced warrior exiled out of the elven lands for her catastrophic last battle. Not content with the chieftain's decision to send Yeeran away, Lettle leaves her community to find her sister. They become involved in the world of the Fae, thought long dead by the world.

 

Both Yeeran and Lettle are strong characters. Yeeran is driven by purpose, she's an interesting character and I found myself liking her more and more as time went on. Her sister is driven by a love and loyalty to Yeeran that makes her highly empathetic. Going back and forth between the two girl's points of view made for a more engaging story that was already compelling

 

That all being said, there were times when the romance felt a bit forced. For me, there was a lack of chemistry in both romances. Part one is also a little slow to start but once things get going it's pretty fast-paced.

 

Overall I think this was a very satisfying novel with a lot of story beats that are carefully laid out that pay off big in the end. I'd like to see where the story goes from here and will be looking forward to the next book. If you're unsure of what fantasy novel to pick up this one is well worth reading.

The Prisoners Throne review

Book: The Prisoners Throne

Author: Holly Black

Pages: 359

Date(s) Read: January 6^th 2025, to January 15^th, 2025

Date Published: March 5^th, 2024

Rating: 5/5

Review

Prisoners Throne is a brilliant work of dark fantasy. Everything about this book was great: the characters, the story, the setting, even the dialogue is standout.

 

In this novel, after Oak's betrayal in the last book, Oak finds himself imprisoned by Queen Suren. Oak has to figure out how to rectify the situation and stop a war between ElfHame and the Court of Teeth.

 

I loved everything about this book, the banter was witty and funny. The main characters and supporting cast are memorable and affable, in particular, I found Wren's struggles and longing to be loved made her very empathetic. The cameos with Jude and Cardan are well-written, true to their characters, and bring back everything I loved about them in the Cruel Prince Trilogy. There's not a thing about this book I would change.

 

If you liked the Cruel Prince trilogy this duology is a must-read. Both books complement each other and the two different perspectives really keep things interesting. I loved getting a look into how Oak felt firsthand and seeing how Wren had grown and changed from the first book in the duology through his eyes.