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.

Enemies-to-lovers doesn’t get more high stakes than a witch and a witch hunter falling in love in bestselling author Kristen Ciccarelli’s latest romantic fantasy.

3/5 stars – I loved Heartless Hunter, but Rebel Witch didn’t quite capture the same magic of the first novel.

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I’m still composing my thoughts, but overall the sequel was a bit of a letdown compared to the first book. While I am happy with how it concluded, I didn’t fully enjoy the process – it somehow felt both slow and rushed at the same time.

The first half of the book is heavily focused on Rune and Gideon’s escape together (tbh multiple versions of that same scenario). While there are some genuinely funny and sweet moments, it starts to feel overdone, especially when that takes up roughly 40–60% of the story.

Where I really wished the book had spent more time was toward the end, with the introduction of additional side characters, and how everyone would work together. So much time is devoted to what felt like filler that, by the time the real substance of the story arrives, everything wraps up far too quickly. And yes, even more predictable than the first book.

A powerful plant witch and a grumpy alchemist must work together to save their quiet town from a magical plague in this debut cozy fantasy romance about starting over, redemption, and what it really means to be a good person.

2.5/5 stars – cute ideas, a great setting, and fun side characters, but too much angst at times detracted from the overall story.

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It started out fairly slow, but I was invested to find out how Violet would start over in a new town while also keeping her identity hidden (I love that trope). The idea of a reformed evil plant witch trying to open a floral shop is fun and I enjoyed learning more about how her powers worked.

The author did a great job with building a cozy setting/town with charming side characters. I especially loved Violet’s “pet” Bartleby – he is hilarious & somewhat reminded me of a more angry Turnip head from Howl’s Moving Castle. I also liked the running joke about good vs. bad “Guy” and everything about the Rock Goblins. Though I would say all of the side characters – especially Nathaniel’s sister, Pru – deserved a bit more ‘screen’ time and I overall would have liked more character development here and less of a focus on Violet/Nathaniel constant “woe is me” vibes.

That said, my only major gripe was that the book has a lot of internal monologues between the two characters which got annoying fast. I also felt that the relationship between Violet and Nathaniel could have had more development before it progressed- some of Nate’s thoughts really gave me the ICK. Around this point I started to lose interest.

Last 20% of the book did get me back into it & the author added some nice twists that truly surprised me. I also liked how the book ended and the epilogue was a nice touch.