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.