When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

3.5/5 stars – I tried reading ACOTAR last year, both the book and audiobook, but ended up DNFing it shortly before Feyre was sent back home by Tamlin. I didn’t think I would give it another shot but I felt inspired after enjoying the House of Earth and Blood Graphic Audio. That ended up being the solution and I finished the story in a few days. In hindsight I realize the part I quit reading the first time was RIGHT before it got good.

I ended up enjoying it overall, but some of the character motivations were kind of ridiculous. Amarantha had the potential to be a great villain, but instead she’s bested by a 19 year old human because she’s obsessed with Tamlin? It just felt a little silly. I get why Rhysand did what he did, playing the game and hoping the odds sway in his favor.

Curious to see where the next book takes the story.

Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life-working hard all day and partying all night-until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.

3.5/5 stars – I was immediately hooked by Danika and Bryce’s story; excited to learn more about their friendship and see how their plans unfolded. Boy was I wrong about the direction of this book. I wish we could have spent a bit more time here honestly, before everything changed.

The concept of the book is very interesting and I loved the modern/urban fantasy setting. I went back and forth on the rating for this one – the beginning and end of the book was pretty solid. The middle was incredibly boring at times and it felt like nothing happened. 800 pages is crazy in hindsight.

I listened to the Graphic Audio version and really enjoyed it – especially near the end with the big fight scenes. Very cinematic. TBD if I will read House of Sky and Breath, but I think I will at least to see more of this world.

***SPOILERS BELOW***

I hated how the villain did the villain thing and explained their whole plan to Bryce. After all of that detective work, THIS is how it ends?

I was absolutely gutted when Bryce makes the drop with Danika’s help. This part was absolute chef’s kiss. And even Sabine quoting “Through love, all is possible” had me sobbing.

Hundreds of years ago, a brutal war split a land in two. Starside is the realm of magic and immortals—the descendants of the gods, living in a power-rich paradise. Stormside is where mortals fight for scraps of that magic. Every fifty years, the gates between them open, and fifty challengers are allowed to journey across Starside on a deadly quest to access a pool of magic that can heal, grant wealth, or extend life. Everyone has their reasons for entering, but Aris has only one: vengeance.

3.5/5 stars – Had a fun time listening to this audiobook, though definitely see the parallels to other fantasy books and this isn’t entirely a unique story (at this point is it that surprising given how many books are released each year?). I’m glad I chose the audiobook, though, because I feel like it made the story easier to digest and the narrators were perfect.

I’ve only ever read Alex Aster’s book Summer in the City and I do feel like her writing has improved here. With both books, the writing is more YA if you remove the more graphic bits from the spicy scenes. Some of the dialogue is still straight cringey.

The major complaint with any enemies to lovers plot is that there never is the “enemy” part but I felt like this one was handled decently and the progression of their relationship made sense to me. I loved how the book ended and really sets up for an exciting next book in the series. I’ll probably give it a listen.

Celaena Sardothien has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight. Everyone Aelin loves has been taken from her. Everything she holds dear is in danger. But she has the heart of a queen-and that heart beats for vengeance.

4/5 stars – It honestly took me close to a month to get through the first 60% of the book but once I made it through I finished the book in a short weekend. I absolutely loved how this book tied up some of the previous plots and character’s stories. And that there was still a bit of twist/surprises along the way.

I enjoyed the Manon / Elide / Kaltain connection and redemption arcs. I was happy to see Chaol character depth return and no longer be so insufferable (hoping that continues).

Lysandra is a total BEAST – such a surprise compared to her intro in Assassin’s Blade. The Arobynn storyline felt a little messy but a good resolution for all. Also how many fake rings/necklaces/etc is Aelin going to get made in the next book?

Rowan had some cringey moments with Aelin but I’m still into it. All of the various friendships and them showing up for eachother LOVE love love. Lastly, I was kinda devastated we didn’t get to see Mort in this book!

Excited to start Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn tandem read, since I’ve decided to give that method a shot, but might take me 3 months to finish at this rate.

A reluctant con artist and a professor with too many secrets are bound together in Ali Hazelwood’s intoxicating new dark academia romance—available only in audio!

2/5 stars – it was okay. This novella doesn’t add much to the vampire genre but if you liked Ali Hazelwood’s book Bride then you may enjoy this. There was a point early on that I almost DNF but stuck it through since I was multi-tasking anyway. The male voice actor’s choice in accent grew on me by the end but it was initially difficult to get into it considering the character is supposed to look 29 (despite being over a thousand years old). The accent made him sound like a very distinguished 50-year old aristocrat. The female narrator was fine.

The author is releasing a sequel to Bound called Unbound focused on another vampire character from the story. I feel like she could have leaned more into this being the same universe as Bride (although I don’t think it is) and given us insight into the vampire side of this world’s lore but the book really didn’t focus much on world-building. I probably wont listen to this sequel unless I’m bored or hear good things.

Celaena Sardothien must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth. That truth could change her life-and her future-forever. Meanwhile, monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. If she is to win this battle, she must find the courage to face her destiny-and burn brighter than ever before.

4.5/5 stars – Incredible. Truly shocked by reviews that called this book boring. I loved all three povs and how the story progressed. The magical fight scene was amazing to read.
Manon/Abraxos – totally unexpected that we’d follow a witch around. Abraxos = Toothless iykyk. Will she have a redemption arc?
Chaol/Dorian – bffls <3 Without spoiling.. big sad and wow what a twist.
Celaena/Rowan – loved this friendship slow burn. Also HOW is she now only 19! Hoping her teenage angst will lesson in the next book lol
Absolutely loved learning about the fae, even if it felt like we were barely scratching the surface.
I can’t wait to read Queen of Shadows.

Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become the King’s Champion. But she is far from loyal to the crown. Though she goes to great lengths to hide her secret, her deadly charade becomes more difficult when she realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As Celaena’s world shatters, she will be forced to decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie . . . and what she is willing to fight for.

4/5 stars – Slow to start, but it really picks up in the middle and feels like a turning point for the series. I loved meeting Mort, and it was great seeing Dorian grow up a bit and move past his puppy love. Chaol finally shows more depth beyond being just the King’s guard, and Celaena actually gets to be the badass she’s meant to be. We get a lot more insight into the world, but there are still so many questions left. Let’s go Heir of Fire.

In a land without magic, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She has no love for the vicious king who rules from his throne of glass, but she has not come to kill him. She has come to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three murderers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she will be released from prison to serve as the King’s Champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

4/5 stars – I started the series with The Assassin’s Blade and have absolutely no regrets with that choice. I can’t imagine reading Throne of Glass without understanding all the little references made about Celaena’s past with Sam, Arobynn, the Red Desert, etc. It helped me to really care about Celaena and root for her. The premise of the book was a little silly and I definitely get the common complaints about the story, but overall I really enjoyed TOG and immediately want to start Crown of Midnight.

What if the urban legends you’ve always heard about were real? It starts with a class in an old movie theatre. Folklore 517: Local Legends and Urban Myths, taught by a woman called the Professor. Most students believe the Professor’s stories are just fiction, but Holland St. James has always been convinced that magic is real.

3.5/5 stars – mystery, magic, and murder – what more do you need?

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Overall I enjoyed the story and how everything fit together. It felt like a real social deduction game at times, and even I’m not sure who Holland can really trust after the resolution.

There were a few pacing issues and it took me awhile to get hooked. The author spends A LOT of time describing every scenary, every character’s outfit (to the pinstripe matching the buttons), etc. at points I wanted to (and did) scream “I DON’T CARE” but I also appreciateed the level of detail because I could clearly envision what she was trying to convey. I would love to see it played out in a movie.

Holland was also a little too boy crazy for my liking, it just felt juvenile how much she fawned over how hot the various men were. Her relationships never got too far though, so I wouldn’t say the book was very character driven – when you start to get interested in a character they were suddenly gone and we’ve moved on to the next.

The ending was well done and left me wanting to know more. Lots of lingering questions and ways the story could continue. I’ll more than likely pick up Alchemy of Secrets #2 when it releases. I’d love to learn more about her parent’s story and what truly happened to them. And also WHERE THE HELL IS JANUARY??

Not a critique of the book but I have the Fairyloot copy and it’s absolutely stunning.

A Human hybrid and an Alpha Were claw against the bonds of fate in the highly anticipated companion novel to the Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller Bride.

2.5/5 stars – almost copy/paste of the first book, but does have its own charming moments.

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Bride started out slow, but Mate is even slower – I honestly considered DNFing due to all of the flashbacks but those did end around the 30% mark and the book picked up. There is, surprisingly, even less world building than Bride. We do learn a bit more Koen’s territory but Serena’s hybrid-ness is only really partially explored. As soon as Koen and Serena get together, almost all of that gets ignored and the majority of the book is about Serena’s… condition. Same as Bride, there is a quick resolution to the primary action in the book. IDK, Bride wasn’t perfect but Mate is even less so. I still enjoyed for the most part and don’t regret finishing it.

That said, if Ali Hazelwood wants to write a third book… I’ll read it.