I received an ARC of this book, and I tend to enjoy Nina's stories with their breath of fresh air take on these fictional men, but this speciDNF @ 32%
I received an ARC of this book, and I tend to enjoy Nina's stories with their breath of fresh air take on these fictional men, but this specific one wasn't doing it for me.
It was a struggle to even get to this point in the story as there wasn't much to hold my attention. I'm not going to rate it for obvious reasons. I would say give this a go and decide for yourself....more
For starters, it would have been nice to know before starting that it is a spin-off, the cover and the tiThis book was so difficult, for many reasons.
For starters, it would have been nice to know before starting that it is a spin-off, the cover and the title font are just not enough hints. I was actually looking for any clues before applying for the ARC and found none, so I thought I was safe to go. Apparently, I was wrong.
I didn't read the original duology for reasons, which include love triangles not being my thing and trying to avoid the Rhysand syndrome like the plague. Perfectly reasonable, except this spin-off heavily builds on that (so expect spoilers if you're bothered by them). I could understand the story, because let's face it, it's not complex, but I still have some blind spots, which I guess is not the best if you already go out of your way to trap new readers.
Now to the story itself. In short, it was a hot mess. I'm not sure if it's just me, but the relationships and character development felt shallow and superficial rather than being a natural evolution based on the events in the book. Jas was one bane of my experience with this story, but the dynamic between Felicity and Misha had left a lot to desire, and the thing that bothered me more than anything.
Don't get me wrong, I am all here for immortal age gaps, they can be fun if done right, but what we have here simply rubbed me the wrong way. I know Felicity is not Jas and Misha has his own motivations, but as far as the story goes, the incredibly old fae dude is pining after a 17-year-old who is struggling with severe PTSD, depression, and survival guilt. All the things that make it all wrong. Sure, there are layers to this situation that try to absolve the issues with it, but when it comes down to the reality, from Misha's perspective this is exactly what happens.
And then his romance happens and it doesn't feel believable because we only get to see like 3 or 4 interactions between them and they both spiral into talks of this great love for one another (*cough* mates *cough*). This felt incredibly shallow somehow. There was barely anything to back those feelings or the eventual romance. On day 3 they were already falling in love while spent together maybe an hour or so up until then.
Again, this might very much be a me issue, but I need more depth and girth from my romances.
And then we have Jas, or as I like to call her, the princess of never asking any questions. The way this girl is bottling up everything is not even cute. She goes from a rageball who hates any sort of human contact to a desperate girl, throwing herself at Hale left and right. And whenever a slight inconvenience comes up, her inner monologues are reduced to "I should ask about it, but rather not and just jump to conclusions or ignore the issue altogether"... It quickly got old.
There aren't many books these days that can make me feel this way. It's either a good story or not, but this just proved I'm too old for the superficial conflicts of YA lits.
I'm still grateful for the opportunity to read this ARC, and hope the fans of the original duology will love this one as well.
It's time to accept defeat and recognize I have no desire to come back and pick it up again. It's a shame, because I really wanted to love thDNF @ 48%
It's time to accept defeat and recognize I have no desire to come back and pick it up again. It's a shame, because I really wanted to love this book, and Elerek's chapters kept me coming back, but my dislike for Lystra is simply beyond fun at this point.
Regardless, it is a promising story and I thoroughly enjoyed the originality of it and the world building. If someone enjoys reaaally slow paced stories, with a great heap of drama and prejudice, it might be your book, and I recommend giving this a try. If for nothing else, but for this brave new world.
As always, thanks to Netgalley for granting me the ARC....more
I wanted to wait for my review of this book because as much as I love Vitari and Francis, this final book was rushed and the plot didn't feel solid frI wanted to wait for my review of this book because as much as I love Vitari and Francis, this final book was rushed and the plot didn't feel solid from start to finish. The first two books in the series had a relatively strong foundation for everything and then this final book happened and I don't know how to feel about it. I enjoyed it in the end because I love these two morons, but was it really that good?! Sorry, but no.
A lot happened in the end, but I feel like I didn't get the resolution from this series that I was expecting. The second book built on Vitari's existential crisis, his mom's identity, and Francis's grappling with his catholic guilt while we got real glimpses into their childhoods and their vastly different experiences at Stanmore. So there was a lot to tie up plot wise, but none of that really happened. Some topics were vaguely touched on, only to be swept under the rug by new challenges and conflict.
Even the relationship is choppy, at best. We went from a wholesome pining to a rushed “here, they're together, touching parts in two sentences”. And that was a bit disappointing, to be honest.
I understand the logic and the reasons behind putting it out sooner rather than later, but if you ask me, it was rather harmful for this series finale. And I don't think I felt like this with any other series by Ariana. They always tend to have an arc that builds as an up and down through the series, and sometimes the resolution is not what I would want or expect, but it works with the characters. With Save Me, I found myself frustrated by all the loose threads or how everything was rushed in the end.
Regardless, I’m grateful for the ARCs I have received from this series and it still holds a special place in my heart. It was a real pleasure getting to know and diving deep into Vitari and Francis’s story.
It wasn't the question if I will love this book or not, the question was more if my heart can take the angst and the rawness of Rhyan's backstory.
ThisIt wasn't the question if I will love this book or not, the question was more if my heart can take the angst and the rawness of Rhyan's backstory.
This book helped me put the main plot in a perspective I didn't think possible and also helped me to understand these characters better.
Rhyan's father is horrible, but I was glad we didn't see much of the Emperor nor his cronies here because they still bring a different kind of angst to the story. Daddy Devon is just one narcissistic lunatic who can't handle his son being stronger than him and scaring him from a young age. Considering everything, that's a motivation for a villain that I can understand.
I loved seeing Rhyan with his own group of friends, people who supported and loved him through his hard times until he was separated from Lyr. My poor boy definitely has been through a tragic series of events and I can't wait to see him repeat history, knowing who he really is and for whom he fights for. And the Afeyan hints are something I can't wait to see unfold in the series.
As always, I loved this book.
I have received an ARC from the author for an honest review.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Spice Meter:
Merged review:
It wasn't the question if I will love this book or not, the question was more if my heart can take the angst and the rawness of Rhyan's backstory.
This book helped me put the main plot in a perspective I didn't think possible and also helped me to understand these characters better.
Rhyan's father is horrible, but I was glad we didn't see much of the Emperor nor his cronies here because they still bring a different kind of angst to the story. Daddy Devon is just one narcissistic lunatic who can't handle his son being stronger than him and scaring him from a young age. Considering everything, that's a motivation for a villain that I can understand.
I loved seeing Rhyan with his own group of friends, people who supported and loved him through his hard times until he was separated from Lyr. My poor boy definitely has been through a tragic series of events and I can't wait to see him repeat history, knowing who he really is and for whom he fights for. And the Afeyan hints are something I can't wait to see unfold in the series.
As always, I loved this book.
I have received an ARC from the author for an honest review.
This book was one of my most anticipated releases for 2024, and let me tell you, I wasn’t disappointed one bit. COLAL delivered everything flawlessly,This book was one of my most anticipated releases for 2024, and let me tell you, I wasn’t disappointed one bit. COLAL delivered everything flawlessly, and then some. It is one of those rare series where every new book is full of twists and turns, and anticipation. You never know what’s going to hit you in the next chapter, and the story builds so nicely.
For me, it’s the comfort of knowing that it’s not going to be a book about a headless chicken running around, and I will be welcomed with a bunch of wholesome characters with onpoint humor every. single. time. that does it.
There is not a single one-dimensional, filler character in here who has a few lines through the series “to keep up the mystery”. Everything is intentional and at some point will come back around to make a full circle, which is a very positive thing in my book.
Speaking of the characters, we have new and old friends here and we can see their world changing drastically in this book. Roman and Shay’s arc gives such a hard perspective switch in a way. They are both powerful in their own right, yet we get to experience the depth of the traps they’re stuck in thanks to their carefully tucked away bleeding hearts. They were the perfect additions to this rapidly growing number of idiots, and I can’t wait to see how their “otherness” from the rest of them will unfold.
I still have a soft spot for Darien, but his dynamic with Loren tends to rub me the wrong way sometimes. It’s a personal preference, if you will, and doesn’t take away from my enjoyment of this book/series, but these two have a long way to go for a healthy relationship. It’s deeply rooted in who they are as individuals and the amount of trauma they both experienced, but some parts of their interactions gave me the ick. I just hope we will see them deal with this at one point. Also maybe Loren should grow a personality sooner or later because right now, she is just an idea on a pedestal that Darien is chasing that has very little to do with who she really is. But again, I’m pretty sure it’s just a me thing, and I probably find it distracting only because every other woman in this series has such a strong personality and balances their unhinged men out in a way.
Regarding the plot, I think I started to understand where Kayla is aiming this story to go and I cannot wait to see it unfold in the next books. There are so many questions, so many directions to go, and so many threads to see connect. But I’m also TERRIFIED to see who will not survive until the end because with such a huge cast of characters we all know it is bound to happen. And I want Morty back.
As always, I owe a huge thanks to Kayla for the ARC, these amazing characters, and the world that lets me get truly lost in for a couple of days whenever I pick this series up.
I was given an ARC of this in return for an honest review.
I’ve been avoiding writing this review because I have very mixed feelings about it.
This bookI was given an ARC of this in return for an honest review.
I’ve been avoiding writing this review because I have very mixed feelings about it.
This book was a surprise that landed in my mail out of the blue and I was so excited to start it. The Venom vibe was the only reason I still gave this 3 stars though, in the end.
Maybe it’s just me and the fact I managed to drag reading it to a whole week’s time, but I felt bored the majority of the time. I felt like the plot was a headless chicken running in circles, with Dex constantly talking about chasing down some ✨magical artifacts✨ but only getting to actually go after them in the last 5 chapters or so.
The story tried to focus on the romance, I guess, but I feel it didn’t really develop naturally between the two of them. In one chapter they wanted to murder one another, and in the next, they were all heart eyes. It was weird.
And the most infuriating part: even though it’s pretty obvious who Gideon actually is if you read the character list, the plot has zero hints. Zero. Nada. Nothing. Dex doesn’t even wonder who he is. And it also ties to her own part in the story which is always talked about but avoided in every possible way. It just doesn’t make sense.
So yeah, in general, it was fine, but I found myself bored with it more often than not.
As amazing the worldbuilding and the characters themselves would be, I just can't deal with yet another chapterDNF @ 20%
I'm sorry but I simply can't.
As amazing the worldbuilding and the characters themselves would be, I just can't deal with yet another chapter on how women are seen as the property of their male relatives, forced marriage that is justified by "oh but I always had a crush on you" and all that. It also felt a little repetitive after the previous book in tropes and conflict and in the way of building these up and solving these issues.
I feel a little like if this world was created by a man, this series would have a widely different reception. And not in a good way. If you know what I mean.
I said I'd be ruthless this year and not force myself to finish books that I don't vibe with and this is one of these.
I'm forever grateful for the ARC, and the opportunity, even if this one wasn't for me....more
I didn't plan to read this, but I did hope that eventually I will get swept by the story, but it didn't happen.
I'm not saYeah.. well, this is awkward.
I didn't plan to read this, but I did hope that eventually I will get swept by the story, but it didn't happen.
I'm not saying this was a bad book, by any means. It's well written and if you can connect to the characters, you will probably love it, but for me, it was just a whole lot of timey-wimey for nothing. I'm not exactly sure I can pinpoint the reason for the existence of this story other than.. why not?! I guess. Sure, it was full of "hints" (and by that I mean confirmation) about what is going on plot-wise with Raina and Alexus and maybe something about the rest of the cast, but other than that, this was giving me the vibe of writing fanfiction about the side character for the fun.
Again, it is not bad, (hence the 3 stars, still) I just feel like it was a lukewarm filler. If anything, it gave me ACOFAS vibes, in a sense.
I have received an ARC from the author for an honest review.
Alright, listen. Was this EPIC? No, not really. But I did enjoy it as much as the previous two. This one was focusing more on the plot than the romancAlright, listen. Was this EPIC? No, not really. But I did enjoy it as much as the previous two. This one was focusing more on the plot than the romance, and that helped. But I also can't put my finger on what I was missing still.
If I had to summarize what this book is about, I would say it's the love-child of The Name of the Wind, Dune, and Spielberg's AI. It was weird in a seIf I had to summarize what this book is about, I would say it's the love-child of The Name of the Wind, Dune, and Spielberg's AI. It was weird in a sense, but in a way that made it enjoyable at first.
Reading the first chapter, I was so excited to see how this technologically advanced, the apocalyptic world would include magic in the traditional fantasy way. I think I cared more about the present than the past and since the book is mainly focusing on the past, I just didn't find myself drawn back to this story day after day as I like.
Also, the lack of women in this world made me question my sanity. There was maybe one woman and she was supposed to be evil, or the very least antagonistic.
All in all, it wasn't a horrible book, I just couldn't connect with it on an emotional level.
I received a free copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.
In all honesty, I can't decide if I read this at the wrong time/with not the right headspace or what. I feel like this book was a mess in the sense thIn all honesty, I can't decide if I read this at the wrong time/with not the right headspace or what. I feel like this book was a mess in the sense that it had way too many players for such few pages and the point just got lost somewhere.
What I thought was the most elegant separation from the previous series was completely undone here and characters from there owned this book, to the point that Ronan and Reyna had about 5 chapters out of 32 for themselves. Which I guess is fine if someone read the previous books, and therefore cares about these characters. I'm not one of these people so it left me feeling a little overwhelmed by the sheer amount of random characters showing up to save the day.
I don't know, it was alright, but I wasn't as much of a fan of this as the previous books in this series.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Confession time: I got carried away with excitement after the first couple of chapters because the structure reminded me of another series that I loveConfession time: I got carried away with excitement after the first couple of chapters because the structure reminded me of another series that I love, but as I read on, the same feeling didn't come. I kept thinking I could blame the Nutcracker base for it, but it wasn't as prominent as I struggled.
Don't get me wrong, it's a good take and a good story, it's probably that my expectations ruined the fun for me.
The characters were mostly fun, the plot was solid, and there was enough magic to make it work. If only the romance felt a little less insta-lovey and the spacing was a little faster. Which I understand is a contradicting statement, but I felt the plot dragging while at the same time the romance was running miles ahead.
I have received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Can you love a story even though you resent all the main characters for one reason or another and some of the plot choices?! Apparently, I can.
I reallCan you love a story even though you resent all the main characters for one reason or another and some of the plot choices?! Apparently, I can.
I really liked that it had the vibe of old-school fantasy with just enough modern spins to make it exciting and fresh. The world-building and the level of detail convinced me to go back and read both the original trilogy and the rest of this series because it is such an intricate world. I mostly enjoyed the court drama and its ripple effects on everything, though some of the guys made me want to claw their eyes out.
It is a heavy book in almost every aspect. The plot is dark, and the romance is full of hate, angst, and confusion. It was just one too many men for a woman to deal with.
It was a story I generally enjoyed, but there were bits and pieces I found either annoying or things that were not really up my alley. One of these is Torian. I think he lacked the spine, and the motivation for his character rubbed me the wrong way until the end. He was a puppet for his mother, never standing up for Imryll, all the while he was whining about why won’t she reciprocate his love. You know, like an infatuated entitled man. And the fact that he was the reason Imryll was put through everything against her will, didn’t really help me warm up to him.
I don’t think I ever really warmed up to Drazhan either, but at least he was true to his character purpose. He was allowed to be selfish and make the wrong moves at times, which I always appreciate.
On the other hand, I loved loved loved the last few chapters where we got to see Imryll’s arc fully bloom, even if it was a little random, and I wish it would have happened a little sooner in the book. But the point is, she got out eventually, and that’s all that matters.
I owe a big thanks to Sarah and her team for allowing me to get my hands on the ARC. It was just what I needed to find the next series that will devour my thoughts.
Honestly, this series caught my eye mainly because it was marketed with the 'rejected mates' trope, but either I'm being dumb or there's a little mislHonestly, this series caught my eye mainly because it was marketed with the 'rejected mates' trope, but either I'm being dumb or there's a little misleading happening. That being said, the fact that it was missing didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story. I loved the back and forth between Shadow and Ronan was fun, and the depth of their connection had me flying through the pages.
We also have Erebos who is a surprise for me because for once, this type of character is actually portrayed as the villain and the narrative doesn't try to justify it or sweep those actions under the rug with "oh, but he's hot". He is, and I love his chaotic ass, but I prefer to see him for what his role actually is.
I'm definitely hooked now to see how it will all unfold in the final book.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I always feel bad when I can't finish an ARC, but this couldn't grab my attention. And I tried, I really did. I found the writing a bit confuDNF @ 24%
I always feel bad when I can't finish an ARC, but this couldn't grab my attention. And I tried, I really did. I found the writing a bit confusing at times and it took me out of the story, and when I finally moved past it, I was thinking what am I even supposed to care about?! Maybe I just found it at the wrong time because the blurb sounds like something I would normally enjoy....more
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