The apocalypse will be televised! You know what’s worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what’s worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic intergalactic game show. That’s what.

4.5/5 stars – what a fun read (or listen in my case). I thoroughly enjoyed following Carl & Donut’s entry into the dungeon and progress through the first two levels. As someone who played a lot of MMO games growing up, I loved imagining this world like a video game. I need the movie/tv version of this series ASAP.

A prequel to Throne of Glass, this collection of five novellas offers readers a deeper look into the history of this cunning assassin and her enthralling—and deadly—world.

4.5/5 stars – a collection of interconnected stories that works really well as an introduction to Celaena and her past.

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As many others have, I debated for a long time if I should start the series with The Assassin’s Blade or Throne of Glass. The Assassin’s Blade won, as I think I would get annoyed having to read about the past in the middle of the series. I can’t say for sure if it was the right call yet, but I really enjoyed reading the book & it has made me want to continue the series to see how these stories might tie back to the other books eventually. Knowing that Throne of Glass begins almost immediately after, I can’t wait to see how that unfolds.

I also really loved how each story lead into the next, so they were independent of each other but still interconnected.

It’s tough to say which of the 5 stories was my favorite. I thoroughly enjoyed Celaena’s time in the desert & her friendship with Ansel, but everything up to that point felt like a side quest. Once she gets back to Rifthold, we get a peek into her life with the guild. The last two stories were certainly the strongest. The ending was devastating and it just goes to show how young & naive Celaena was to get tricked so many times, despite being so revered as an assassin.

I’m guessing the whole “My name is Celaena Sardothien and I will not be afraid” will come up again and knowing Sam’s influence will be heartbreaking.

A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love, Theoretically and The Love Hypothesis.

3.5/5 stars – Fun addition to the vampire/werewolf trope, enjoyable read though it loses its way a bit toward the end

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The book starts a little slow but I actually loved the pacing, following Misery (terrible name tbh but you get over it) as she explains why she made the decision to marry Lowe. Learning more about her upbringing and the different species in this world was a lot of fun – the book keeps the usual of vampires & werewolves but adjusted enough to make the story slightly unique.

Once the book starts to get spicy, it honestly stays there a little too often though it’s also understandable given that this is a very new experience for both characters/species (and unfortunately a bit cringe). With how much time was spent on that, the big reveal/twist happens way too fast and resolves quickly. I would have enjoyed more time in the world and supporting characters (Ana, Alex, etc.). As a side note, one scene totally had me crying my eyes out!

I do really love ultimately how it ended and I appreciated that this dulogy wasn’t left on some huge cliffhanger. The book gave me just enough to be excited to read the follow-up book but I’m not scrambling to read it immediately. I’m genuinely excited to learn about Serena in the next installment Mate, but I hope we will get more Misery/Lowe tidbits, too!

Heartless Hunter is the thrilling start to a romantic fantasy duology where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch is . . . falling in love.

4.5/5 stars – a well-written, fast-paced fantasy with compelling characters and a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance.

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From the beginning I was hooked on this story – pacing is great and perfect amount of tension between the main characters, Rune and Gideon. The setting and world is fairly simple – think medieval witch-hunt vibes – and the magic is also straighforward: spells are driven by blood & witches are marked on their body when they use their own blood. Rune is a witch hiding her identity from almost everyone, masquerading as a rich debutante by day while secretly rescuing captured witches by night. Gideon is a witch hunter and the brother of Rune’s best friend, Alex. Both Rune’s and Gideon’s backstories are well developed and help you understand their motivations up to this point. The two main side characters, Verity and Alex, are also fairly well developed, and the inclusion of Rune’s Nan throughout the story consistently pulled at my heartstrings. With Alex and Gideon being brothers, theres that trope, as well – which brother will Rune choose?

I don’t really have anything negative to say about the book – it is well written and keeps you invested to the very end. Only a little predictable at times and characters sometimes make maddening choices. I would have loved a bit more focus on Rune’s role as the Crimson Moth, and seeing Rune, Alex, and Verity working together (maybe through a flashback) could have better showcased how competent they are at saving witches. The ending also was somewhat expected but came together in a way that made sense and was satisfying, setting up the sequel nicely. I am immediately starting [book:Rebel Witch|60217777]!