Book Review: Beneath (Book #1 in the Rebirth series) by Ariel Sullivan (Major Spoilers)

Right off the bat, I have to admit that going into reading Beneath, I was very intrigued by Ariel Sullivan’s decision to follow up Conform with the first book in a prequel trilogy for a lot of reasons, the first reason being that Conform is only the first book in the series, and the second reason being that Conform ended on a cliffhanger. That being said, after reading Beneath, it ultimately worked for me in many ways.

 

First off, it was very interesting to read a book that was written hundreds of years before the Illum existed and before the events that took place in Conform. It was also very interesting to read a war story, and I have to admit that I oftentimes don’t love war stories. Thankfully, this is one that I ultimately did end up loving for many reasons.

 

Sasha is a really great, well-written protagonist. I honestly enjoyed the whole medic aspect of the character, Sasha. Her backstory and the fact that other characters called Sasha “Death’s Angel” were all very compelling. I also thought that the flashbacks did an excellent job of developing her as a character when it came to fleshing out the details of her past. Tristian also served as a great love interest for Sasha, and was a well-written character as an individual. I felt like Sullivan did an excellent job of developing both the chemistry and the romance between Sasha and Tristan throughout Beneath.

Currently Reading: Starside by Alex Aster

Book Review: Conform (Book #1 in the Conform series) by Ariel Sullivan (Major Spoilers)

Right off the bat, I have to confess that I went into reading Ariel Sullivan’s book, Conform, with a great deal of excitement and anticipation, given all the hype surrounding this book. After having read Conform, I have to say that this book definitely lived up to the hype for the most part.

 

Conform definitely has a lot going for it, both as a book and as the beginning of a book series. Emeline is also a very interesting protagonist for the series in many ways. That being said, I don’t think that Emeline having heterochromia can be considered a particularly compelling defect from an emotional standpoint. Hopefully, Sullivan will flesh out the idea of the characters having defects, especially when it comes to Emeline, to make the whole aspect of the series involving some of the characters having a defect, so it will come across as more compelling from a creative standpoint as the series continues. That being said, Collin and Hal are both well-written and compelling characters who both served as great and interesting love interests for Emeline in their own unique way.

 

Conform also has quite a few compelling supporting characters that I really enjoyed. I especially enjoyed what we saw of Collin’s family members and found them very well-written. The whole Gregory and Nora subplot was especially compelling and a very enjoyable aspect of the book. Honestly, I wish we could have gotten more of the Gregory and Nora subplot, simply because of how much I enjoyed that aspect of Conform. I would love it if one of the future books in the series focuses on Gregory and Nora. Emeline’s friend, Lo, was also quite interesting, at least based on what we saw of the character, given her interest in getting a reproduction contract like Emeline was originally trying to get. That being said, one complaint that I have about Conform is that many of the supporting characters kind of blurred together at times, especially when it came to some of Collin’s family members. Hopefully, Sullivan will flesh out Collin’s family members as characters as the series continues. Given that the Conform series is apparently going to consist of nine books, hopefully Sullivan will have the chance to further develop Collin’s family members and the supporting characters in general.

Book Review: The Duke and I (Book #1 in the Bridgerton series) by Julia Quinn (Major Spoilers)

Right off the bat, I want to mention that I’m reviewing the first book in Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series, The Duke and I, after having read it for the second time. That being said, here are my thoughts on The Duke and I.

One of the things I enjoyed most about The Duke and I was the overall tone of Julia Quinn’s writing, especially in the Lady Whistledown segments that opened each chapter. At the same time, however, this book was also full of drama and emotional angst, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

 

Quinn definitely did a great job handling the fake courtship between Daphne and Simon in this book. It was also really fun to see Simon interact with the Bridgerton family as Daphne and Simon went through the fake courtship stage of their relationship. That being said, I felt like we didn’t get to see enough of Daphne and Simon’s fake courtship before they were forced to get married.

Book Review: Fearless (Book #3 in the Powerless series) by Lauren Roberts (Major Spoilers)

Right off the bat, I have to say that I definitely went into reading Fearless with certain expectations, and I was also worried that Lauren Roberts might disappoint me by ending the series by having Paedyn discover that she has powers too, and that she’s not actually “Powerless” after all. Thankfully, I was thrilled to see that Roberts didn’t go that route, and Fearless was a very satisfying conclusion to Roberts’ Powerless series. However, this book was still full of its fair share of “scandalous” plot twists.

 

Fearless’ biggest strength is definitely the fact that Roberts did a fantastic job of bringing the series full circle in many ways by having Paedyn compete in a whole new set of trials, like she did when she competed in the Purging Trials in the first book. Having Paedyn face a whole new set of Purging Trials in the final book of the series was definitely a great idea on Roberts’ part to end the series that way. It also made Fearless a very action-packed book. Still, at the same time, I felt like Roberts did a great job of having these Purging Trials play out differently for Paedyn in this book compared to the way the Purging Trials were handled in the first book of the Powerless series, which I thought was very important for her to do, so that Fearless wouldn’t come across as lacking originality, but especially since this was the last book in the series, aside from Fearful.

 

The writing for Paedyn and Kai’s relationship and the moments between them throughout the book were once again a major strength for me. However, Paedyn and Kai’s relationship is something that I’ve always loved about the Powerless series.

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Book Review: Heat of the Everflame (Book #3 in The Kindred’s Curse Saga) by Penn Cole (Major Spoilers)

I’d like to start this review by saying that discovering Penn Cole’s Kindred’s Curse Saga and reading the first two books in the series: (Book #1: Spark of the Everflame) and (Book #2: Glow of the Everflame) was honestly one of the biggest highlights of my year, both reading-wise, and my life in general last year. I LOVED Spark of the Everflame so much that I basically dived into reading Glow of the Everflame right away without taking the time to review Spark of the Everflame. I had a lot going on in my life soon after I finished reading Glow of the Everflame, so I never got the chance to write a review for the book while the details were still fresh in my mind. That being said, I’m definitely planning on going back and reading the first two books in the Kindred’s Curse Saga again at some point in the future, so that I can review them. It’s a pretty rare situation where I’ll marathon a series of relatively long fantasy books like the first two books in the Kindred’s Curse Saga right away; however, I just thought that Spark of the Everflame was so good and it sucked me into the point, but at the time, I couldn’t help but read Glow of the Everflame right away. That being said, here are my thoughts on Heat of the Everflame.

 

One of the first major strengths of both Heat of the Everflame and the Kindred’s Curse Saga series as a whole is, of course, the writing for the characters. Diem is a fantastic protagonist. Luther serves as a great love interest for Diem and a well-written character as a whole. The fact that Luther was a well-written love interest is definitely essential, since this book, and the Kindred’s Curse Saga as a whole, is considered a romantasy. Plus, Diem and Luther have definitely had amazing chemistry with each other right from the beginning of the series.

 

The political intrigue is another element of Heat of the Everflame that was executed very well by Cole, and it was an aspect of the book that I really enjoyed. It was exciting to see Diem and the other characters work together to have Diem’s coronation as the Queen of Lumnos legitimatized and deal with the obstacles that Diem faced along the way together throughout the course of the book. The part of the book where Diem and the other characters stayed with the queen of Umbros, Yrselle, was definitely one of the parts of the book that stands out as my favorite for a lot of reasons. I loved Queen Yrselle as a character, and I thought that she was very well written, especially since she had a villainous nature to her. Plus, I felt like that was one of the parts of the books that really helped illustrate some of the larger themes of the book, such as the implications of power and duty by having Diem and the other characters being forced to give up their weapons during that portion of the book, and Yrselle questioning Diem about who she would save in a crisis when the group was playing a dinner party discussion game.

Book Review: Lightlark (Book #1 in The Lightlark Saga) by Alex Aster (Major Spoilers)

Right off the bat, I would like to mention that I’m actually reviewing this book after having read it for the second time. That being said, here are my thoughts on the first book in Alex Aster’s Lightlark Saga, Lightlark.

 

Reading Lightlark was definitely a very interesting experience for me, as I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Reading it got me excited to read the rest of Aster’s Lightlark Saga, which I would say is a really good thing. At the same time, however, I also can’t deny that Lightlark also has a lot of flaws, too.

Book Review: The Christmas Tree Farm (Book #3 in the Dream Harbor series) by Laurie Gilmore (Spoilers)

Right off the bat, I definitely feel that I should preface this review by saying that despite The Christmas Tree Farm actually being the third book in Laurie Gilmore’s Dream Harbor series, I read The Christmas Tree Farm without having read any of the other books in the series, since each book in the series is written as a standalone book with a guaranteed happy ending. That being said, here are my thoughts on The Christmas Tree Farm.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed The Christmas Tree Farm for the most part. I felt like it had a very interesting premise, with Kira impulsively buying a Christmas tree farm, essentially sight unseen, even though she hates Christmas, using the money that she had received from her trust fund to buy it, and then struggling to make the whole idea work out for her in a new town where she initially struggled to fit in, when it came it to not only finding ways to bring in business for the Christmas tree farm, but to also cope with living in the incredibly rundown house that she had bought along with the Christmas tree farm; which interestingly enough seemed to come at least already somewhat furnished when she bought it. It was also interesting to see Kira dealing with all of this while also having a long-distance relationship with her twin, Chloe. These things made Kira a very nuanced, well-written, and likable character.

 

Bennett was also a very interesting and well-written character, especially when it came to his almost desperate need to help people in need. This quality really helped make Bennett a complex, well-written character, much like Kira was. He also had a complicated relationship with an ex-girlfriend of his that really kept me guessing how that might all factor into the plot of the book in the long run, but it ultimately was just used as another example of his desperate need to help people. I was honestly really relieved that not too much drama came out of his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, like I was expecting it would.

 

Book Review: Better Than The Movies (Better Than The Movies Book #1) by Lynn Painter (Spoilers)

Right off the bat, I want to start this review by mentioning that I’ve definitely heard a lot of really great things about Lynn Painter’s book, Better Than The Movies, ever since its release back in May of 2021. After having finally read Better Than The Movies, I have to say that while I’ve always had very mixed feelings about young adult romance books, I really enjoyed this book for the most part.

Liz Buxbaum was a very well-written, interesting, and likable protagonist for the most part. Despite my being a guy, I actually found myself really being able to relate to Liz’s hopeless romantic nature and her love of romantic comedies quite a bit, because I’ve considered myself a hopeless romantic ever since I watched the romantic comedy Pretty Woman for the first time when I was either five or six years old.

 

I felt like Painter did a fantastic job of establishing for the reader what Liz’s relationship with her biological mother was like, even though her mother had passed away before events that take place in the book, and it’s very clear that her relationship with her mother had a significant influence on her when she was alive; especially when it came to mentioning the fact that her mother had been an aspiring screenwriter. Plus, it was pretty obvious that her mother had played a big role in instilling her with a hopeless romantic nature when she was still alive. I also thought that Painter opening every chapter with a quote from numerous famous romantic comedies was very fitting, since it was mentioned at one point in the book that Liz and her mother had owned a big box of romantic comedies, but Helena had sold them, thinking that Liz didn’t watch them anymore.

 

Book Review: Reckless (Book #2 in the Powerless series) by Lauren Roberts (Major Spoilers)

Going into reading Lauren Roberts’ book, Reckless, I was full of excitement and anticipation, and thankfully, Reckless ultimately lived up to my expectations for the most part.

One of Reckless’ greatest strengths is that Paedyn and Kai spent pretty much the entire book together, especially when they were chained to each other. Reckless had some great character development for Kai while Paedyn and Kai were chained to each other, and it was also incredibly entertaining at times. Paedyn and Kai’s interactions throughout the book allowed them to grow a lot closer to each other throughout Reckless, and Roberts’ writing for their relationship throughout Reckless was truly stellar, as far as I’m concerned.

That being said, while I loved that Paedyn and Kai spent pretty much the majority of Reckless chained to each other, I have to admit that a big part of me kept waiting for Paedyn to find a way to get away from Kai again and flee; so a part of me was a little disappointed by the fact that never happened in this book. Perhaps Lauren Roberts didn’t do that in Reckless because she felt like that would ultimately come across as being repetitive storyline-wise. (Shrugs in disappointment)

I was thrilled to see that Kitt had a larger presence in this book. I thought that Roberts did an excellent job of showing the readers what Kitt’s mental state was like throughout the book, with him locking himself in his father’s study, and emphasizing the fact that he had been dumping his food out the window of his father’s study. Being so wrapped up in the fact that he was doing all of these things caused Kitt to forget about Ava’s birthday, which Kitt eventually realizes. (Ava is Kitt and Kai’s sister who died when she was a little girl.) Having Kitt do all of these things throughout the book makes it so his actions at the end of the book, with him ordering Paedyn to marry him for the end of book cliffhanger, honestly made a lot of sense to me; because it shows the reader just how much Kitt truly has gone off the deep end mentally and emotionally, which I thought was a truly brilliant way to end Kitt’s storyline in this book. I also thought that it showed just how much Kitt has changed as a character, since he was first introduced in the first book in the series, and not for the better.

Book Review: Powerful (Book #1.5 in the Powerless series) by Lauren Roberts (Major Spoilers)

As someone who has always had rather mixed feelings about novellas, I have to admit that I definitely went into reading Lauren Roberts’ novella, Powerful, feeling excited to read it while also having relatively low expectations for the novella, given many of my lackluster previous experiences with reading novellas. That being said, I ultimately really loved Powerful for the most part. 

One of Powerful’s greatest strengths is that it does a fantastic job of further developing the character, Adena, which I was thrilled to see take place in this book, since one of the biggest complaints that I had about Powerless was that I felt like the character development for some of the secondary characters in the book was hit or miss, and in retrospect, I think that Adena is a character that could have benefited from some additional character development in Powerless. The events that take place during this book take place also take place during the same timeframe as Powerless, so that helps this novella fit into the overall narrative of the Powerless series rather seamlessly, as far as I’m concerned.

Lauren Roberts’ Powerful did a great job of further developing Adena as a character. Since I had already read Powerless and this book takes place during the same timeframe as that book, I obviously knew that Adena was going to end up dying in this book. Even though I knew that Adena was going to die in this book, that thankfully didn’t stop me from becoming invested in Mak and Adena’s relationship throughout the book.

Book Review: Powerless (Book #1 in the Powerless series) by Lauren Roberts (Major Spoilers)

Right off the bat, I want to start this review by saying that I’ve been very interested in checking out Lauren Roberts' Powerless series for a long time now. After having read the first book in the series, I’m so glad I did. I loved the first book, and it left me feeling really eager to read the rest of the series. That being said, here are my thoughts on Powerless (the book).

 

The fact that Powerless is written primarily from both Paedyn (Pae) Grey and Prince Kai’s points of view is a major strength of this book. Lauren Roberts did a great job of developing both Paedyn and Kai as characters throughout the book. I also thought that Roberts did an excellent job of developing Paedyn and Kai’s blossoming romantic relationship in this book, and I’m looking forward to seeing where Roberts takes things with them as the series continues.

 

That being said, one major complaint that I have about the book is that I felt like Kitt definitely could have benefited from having some more character development in the book. I felt like he was featured throughout the book in Kai’s chapters and some of Paedyn’s chapters, and then suddenly, when Roberts wrote the epilogue from Kitt’s point of view, it ultimately came across as being rather random to me in an incredibly jarring way that I kind of got even more emotional whiplash from the ending of the book, because Roberts decided to write the epilogue from Kitt’s point of view when there aren’t any other chapters in the book written from Kitt’s point of view. The epilogue really left me wondering if there are going to be any additional chapters that are written from Kitt’s point of view in the other books in the Powerless series. At this point, that’s something that I would be very interested in seeing in the books that follow this one.

 

Roberts’ success with developing the other contestants in the Purging Trials was somewhat hit or miss, as far as I’m concerned. Except for Blaire, I ultimately found the other contestants to be rather forgettable. Maybe it’s just me, but when Lenny was first introduced as Paedyn’s Imperial, who stands outside the door in the palace, a part of me was really expecting Lenny to end up betraying Paedyn later on in the book, so I was very surprised when it was revealed that Lenny was a part of the resistance that’s working to fight against the injustice that’s being done to people who are Ordinaries (People who don’t have abilities). I suppose there could still always be some twist with Lenny betraying Paedyn later on in the Powerless series, but I’m glad that, at least when it comes to the first book in the series, my prediction about Lenny being a villain ended up being wrong.

Book Review: The People We Hate at the Wedding by Grant Ginder

Right off the bat, I have to confess that I originally bought Grant Ginder’s The People We Hate at the Wedding on somewhat of a whim and read it for the first time back in 2017, and I’m so glad that I did, because this ended up being a really great book, in my opinion. I honestly hadn’t even heard of this book until I saw it at Target one day. As soon as I read the plot synopsis that’s on the cover, I immediately knew that this book was right up my alley. I thought about whether or not I wanted to buy it for several hours, and I bought it later that same day; which is something I don’t necessarily do when it comes to books that are written by authors that I’ve never even heard of. I’m much more likely to buy books rather spontaneously if they’re written by authors that I’m already familiar with and have read some of their other books. I’m also incredibly ashamed to admit that this review was originally written for the most part after I read the book for the first time back in 2017; but because I find the proofreading part of writing rather tedious, I never got around to proofreading and posting this review while the details of the book were still fresh in my mind. I finally decided to reread the book recently after finding out that Amazon made a movie adaptation of the book; which I’m planning to watch now that I’ve reread the book. That being said, here are my thoughts on the book.

 

Despite what the book’s title might suggest, The People We Hate at the Wedding is ultimately not first and foremost about a wedding. At its core, this book is about a dysfunctional family; and the problems that they have, with both each other and in their own personal lives. Eloise’s wedding simply serves as the backdrop for the conflict within the family. I have to say that while I absolutely love the title The People We Hate at the Wedding, I still think that it’s the book title equivalent of a clickbait headline for an article on the internet since the titular wedding plays such a small role in the book in the grand scheme of things. However, I still think it’s a pretty clever book title that was definitely effective when it came to getting my attention as I was looking around at Target and originally discovered this book.

 

While I personally loved this book, I don’t think that this book is necessarily for everybody, especially if you’re not a fan of books where pretty much all of the characters are rather unlikable people. Personally, I honestly love books, TV shows, and movies that feature unlikable characters, as long as the characters are written with the intention of them being unlikable, and they’re well written, and it's handled well by the author. When it comes to TV shows, my favorite comedy is definitely It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and all of the characters on that show are all truly terrible people. If characters come across as being unlikable due to bad writing, then I usually end up not liking the book all that much. For example, I don’t think that Ana Steele from E.L. James’ Fifty Shades trilogy is meant to be an incredibly annoying and unlikable, she just comes across that way due to terrible writing. That being said, I did think that Ana came across as being much more likable in Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian, even though the book was still horribly written.