Book Review: Stray by Rachel Vincent

Stray

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Stray 〰️

This is my second time reading this series. I originally read them probably around 2012ish? I can’t recall. But it’s been long enough that reading it now feels like the first time. I’m excited to dive back into Vincent’s first series to see if they still hold up. And I know this is only the first book, but you know what? They do. Sure, there are some issues that I’ve noticed now that I, for some reason, didn’t pick up back then, but that doesn’t take away from my enjoyment of Vincent’s work. There is a reason everything she writes is an auto-buy and usually a re-read. (Though her Soul Screamers series will always be my first love and my favourite). 

So, let’s get a few things that bothered me out of the way. (Kinda rant?)

-Every time Faythe calls her dad “Daddy," it kinda creeps me out. I think it’s because people use “daddy” in a more sexual way these days. I know this book was written in the mid-2000s, and the sexual meaning wasn’t around (or as popular. It could have been around, but I didn’t realize it). Still, I can’t help but picture Faythe, a full-grown adult, getting all childish and pouty when she calls her dad “daddy.” (Nothing wrong with still calling your parents mommy and daddy at an older age. I’m just saying adults using “daddy” these days hold a different meaning most of the time).

-I forgot about how Marc was super territorial, to the point where it’s toxic masculinity. It wasn’t romantic. It was kinda gross. I forgot how most of the series goes, but I know Marc is endgame for Faythe, and the attempted love triangle with Jace was also weird. The fact that her parents basically forced her to be with Marc (yes, she still wants him, but that’s besides the point), is also creepy. Giving me arranged marriage vibes. I’m not sure how I feel about Marc at the moment. I think I like Jace more, but I do remember that Marc grew on me in later volumes, so we’ll see if that still holds true. He really needs to stop claiming Faythe, however. I mean, yes, they’re together at the end of the first book, but the moment they reunite, he literally claims her and maims his competition. And he gets rewarded for his behaviour by getting Faythe in the end. 

-And last, when she has sex with Marc for the first time, she’s technically cheating on Andrew. I know she realizes the consequences of it right in the next chapter, but yeah. Also, as conceptual as it was, it wasn’t since she was still drunk. I’m aware they have consensual romantic advances later, but she still hasn’t broken up with Andrew at that point. I’m not a fan of cheaters. 

-Most of the action happens in the last third of the book. The first half had Faythe essentially reminiscing about her childhood and deciding which dude she wanted to be with. Also, if you think about it, Faythe spends 80%ish of this book as a captive of sorts. I mean, she wasn’t truly captive at the ranch, but she was under heavy watch and guarded. Then, she was actually captured and spent a good chunk of time in a cage. At least Vincent’s writing is so good that the fact doesn’t matter because she still makes it an engaging read.

That all being said, I loved this book more this read than my first. I absolutely love Faythe as a character. She’s a smart-talking, badass, strong female lead that we can definitely root for. I love her passion and resolve about everything. I totally get her desire for freedom, especially since she knows she’ll eventually have the burden of keeping the Pride alive. Vincent can also make each character distinct and unique despite having many of them to go around. I can’t wait to continue with this series and have my heartstrings pulled at again. I can’t recall what will happen, but I do remember the series hitting me in the feels.

If you love shifters, cat puns (and cats!), excellent writing and a lovable MC, be sure to pick up Stray. (And while you’re at it, get the rest of the series so you can start right away).

Just know that there are some pretty dark scenes in the book's latter half, so consider this your trigger warning.

Book Review: Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

Love on the Brain

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Love on the Brain 〰️

First off, this book has its flaws (I’ll get into a few issues I had), but I still had fun reading it. Even if a book has a lot of (sometimes irritating) issues, I’ll still probably rate it pretty high because of my enjoyment level. What can I say? I pretty much enjoy everything I read, even if sometimes the MC pisses me off.

This is the third Hazelwood book I’ve read in a row and the fourth book of hers I’ve read in total. I read in some reviews before that Hazelwood’s work is pretty formulaic, and you know what? They aren’t wrong. All her books include women in STEM (love this fact; pretty sure it’s a selling point for her books, to be honest), a super tiny, almost miscue female MC, a giant, no like GIANT of a man with a six-pack for days male love interest, usually some sort of miscommunication, lots of science talk, and various spicy scenes. (Even her YA debut, Check & Mate, has all of these components, except replace science talk with chess and an off-scene sex scene, but lots of talk of sex).

Don’t get me wrong, her work may be formulaic, but why fix what’s not broken? I love reading her stories despite them all being pretty similar. Plus, she usually has some LGBTQ+ others in the MC or some side characters, and it’s always treated as normal, so I’m here for that.

Now that all being said, here are a few things that irked me about this book. I’ll be going into spoilers of sorts here, so be warned.

-Bee, our MC has this super popular Twitter account that’s popular in the science world, and she befriends another science Twitter guy. It’s so apparent that Levi is SHMAC, the guy she’s been talking to and that he’s always been into Bee. (And that he’s talking about Bee to Bee without her realizing it).

But like all Hazelwood books, it seems like no one can be proper adults and have a conversation. Or, at the very least, stop interrupting each other so the truth can come out earlier.

-She has random fainting spells, but doctors don’t understand why. My guess? For plot convenience.

-Levi keeps saying he doesn’t hate Bee or despise her, yet she still thinks he hates her guts for most of the novel.

-Hell, despite their first kiss, she still thinks Levi used and no longer is. Then they have sex (multiple times), and she still thinks he’s not into her.

-Also, like, where did the NASA cat come from? How did it get inside NASA, and how did no one besides Bee and Levi see the cat???

As I’ve said before in other Hazelwood book reviews, all of the MC's problems could be solved in a five-minute talk if they acted like adults and had a conversation and also stopped interrupting each other so they could hear the full story. Then again, we wouldn’t have a story, but still. I have issues with the miscommunication trope.

Despite all these issues, I’m still rating it four stars and recommending it because I really did enjoy my read. I had fun and learned some cool brain (and definitely lots of Madam Curies) facts I wasn’t aware of. Was it my favourite Hazelwood book? No. Love, Theoretically, still takes the cake on that one. But I still had a good time.

Book Review: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

The Love Hypothesis

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The Love Hypothesis 〰️

This is the third book I’ve read by Hazelwood (the second being her YA debut, Check & Mate), and I really enjoyed my read. I do wonder why this book is in the third person when all (as far as I can tell) of her other books are in the first person. That’s not a complaint; I'm just wondering.

I love reading about women in STEM. Makes me feel smarter than I actually am. Although I will say I felt like Olive wasn’t as smart as she’s supposed to be sometimes. Only at the end did she use her smarts to fix all the issues. And for someone who is supposed to be uber smart (I suppose this goes for Adam, too), they both don’t think to have an adult conversation about their feelings. It’s the miscommunication trope discount cousin, lying by omission/assuming the other person doesn’t feel the same, so they don’t say anything at all. It’s very annoying. I get it; we wouldn’t have a third-act conflict if they talked sooner, but, like, it’s annoying. (Though I hate the miscommunication so much more). If these adults actually discussed the things they heard from people and talked about what was really going on, it would save everyone the heartache.

That being said, I still really enjoyed this book. I love the LGBTQ+ rep. I also find it fascinating to hear about academia since I know absolutely nothing about it. Hazelwood is the only author I know (I’m sure there are plenty of others) who writes books about women in STEM and all that science stuff. Makes me feel like I can learn a little bit while not actually trying to learn.

The romance in this book was cute. It’s been a while since I’ve read a good grumpy meets sunshine trope done so well. I didn’t find the spicy scenes super spicy, and that’s okay. It was pretty tame as far as spice goes. I think the spice in Love, Theoretically was a lot spicier. However, I have trouble believing that Adam was into Olive since the first time they met in the bathroom. Like, yeah, he could find her attractive and vibe with her, but by the end of the book, it felt like we were supposed to believe he was in love at first sight. Now, if they interacted over the years, even just running into each other for some science thing or something, then I can see him loving her by the time they start their fake dating.

Speaking of fake dating, I’ve read a lot of fake dating tropes lately. They were okay. But I feel The Love Hypothesis is the one that does it right. (Although I wish Adam wasn’t already infatuated with Olive at the start, and they both fell in love naturally as their fake dating progresses; we can’t have everything). I enjoyed how Hazelwood handled this fake dating scenario. 

I know I ranted about a few things, but they’re minor things in the long haul. I really enjoyed this book. Not as much as Love, Theoretically, but enough that I will keep reading Hazelwood’s books.

Book Review: Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

Horrorstör

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Horrorstör 〰️

I know this is Hendrix's earlier works, but this is the third of his books I've read. I enjoyed both The Final Girl Support Group and How to Sell a Haunted House, but this book? This book is by far the best work I've read. Actually, it's one of the best horror books I've read in a while.

The concept of setting a horror story inside a discount Ikea was genius. Ask anyone who has worked in retail, especially after closing. It's scary enough. Add actual supernatural stuff to the mix, and you've got a great recipe for success.

I will say, however, that every time Hendrix wrote the name of one of the furniture pieces, I "blah blah blahed" over them like I was reading a name in a fantasy book. Again, I love the idea of a discount Ikea, but like, could you remind me which particular type of furniture we're interacting with instead of using its (I'm assuming) Swedish name?

I also super enjoyed all the art. It added to the creepy factor. And I love how each chapter title is a piece of furniture that will be used in said chapter. I love even more that they get more sinister as the novel progresses, but still sound like something you'd find in an Orsk flier. And the copyright is a part of the Orsk catalogue, and the author's photo is an employee ID? Genius, really.

My only issue (and it's a small nitpick since this book is short) was that Amy surrendered to her "treatment" awfully fast and then was snapped out of it just as quickly. For some reason, out of everything, that was the most unbelievable.

I do wish we could have gotten more scenes, like when Amy and Matt got lost and had to use their camera to find the way back because the camera's reality was distorted. That was pretty cool and creepy.

But all in all, this was an excellent, refreshing, quick horror read. Does it have flaws? Absolutely. But I can look past them to enjoy the retail gimmick that made this an enjoyable read.

Book Review: The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

The Spanish Love Deception

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The Spanish Love Deception 〰️

Actual Rating: 3.5/5

So, I accidentally read the second book (The American Roommate Experiment) first, not knowing it was a spinoff. (It reads perfectly well as a standalone if you are a dumbass like me and want to start there). I absolutely loved the second book. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy and all that weird jazz. I absolutely loved Rosie and her story. So I thought, now I HAVE to read the first book, see more of Rosie (but obviously in the background), see how Lina and Aaron get together and so on.

Usually, a second book can be a hit or a miss. Sometimes, they're just as good as the first. Sometimes better. Sometimes, they don't live up to the expectations. The second book (which was my first) was a smash hit with me. Now that I've finally read the first book? I feel like it's the crappy sequel.

Don't get me wrong, I still very much enjoyed the read. But it was nowhere near as good as the second book and had some issues. They only get to Spain like halfway though the book so it takes until then for things to start getting all romancy. That Open House thing Lina had to plan at the start that was made a big deal of? It's barely mentioned until the end and hardly happens on the page. (Which I guess is a good thing as that would have been boring to read, but like, why include it at all?) Also, the book's first half seems to set Lina up for an ED, and it gets pretty serious for a bit. But then Aaron is basically like, don't do that, and she's like, okay, and then it was never brought up again? I'm not sure why it was included if there wasn't a) going to be a discussion on it or b) not going to go anywhere. Actually, it didn't need to be in the novel at all.

Also, this book is full of the miscommunication trope, second cousin, not talking about your feelings as an adult to another adult. The book could have been so much shorter if Lina just talked about what she felt about Aaron and asked if he wasn't pretending to like her. It irked it. So much that I used the word irked.

At least when the romance started to happen (which took a hot min), I enjoyed it. I didn't enjoy it as much as Rosie's story.

As a side note, I also expected more of Rosie in this book, seeing how she got her own novel. I thought fans probably read the first book and couldn't get enough of her, so that's why Armas had to write her story. (She's barely in it or mentioned compared to how long this book was). Not that this is a big issue; I just wondered why Armas decided to write Rosie's story. Though, as spoilers for me, we do see a bit of how Lina and Aaron end up, and they cameo, so there's that.

So, I guess I'm unsure how to feel about this book. I truly liked it, but I also didn't. It's weird. I'd still recommend it, but I also recommend book two more.

Book Review: hello (from here) by Chandler Baker and Wesley King

hello (from here)

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hello (from here) 〰️

I’m a little unsure how to rate this book. It was slow to begin with but slowly got better over time. Though for a romance, this book was a bit depressing (primarily because of the time it takes place in). 

This book was published during COVID-19 and occurred during the first big spike of the pandemic. While I read this in 2023, this book felt a little too… fresh. I’m not sure of the right word. We read romance stories that take place in other big world historical events like WW2, but the COVID-19 pandemic is too close to home and feels too soon. The world was challenging for a while, and I don’t know if people want to relive that wound so early. Having had COVID-19 myself (thankfully a milder version), I didn’t really need a reminder of all the craziness we all lived through in recent years. 

Covid-19 aside, the book itself was a bit depressing. I mean, I get it. A lot of people died or were sick, and many other tragic things happened during 2020. But for a romance book, I wasn’t expecting it to be this dark. I will say, though, that Jonah’s anxiety was done really well, and I love the LGBTQ+ rep that was treated so normally. But there were a lot of things that made this book a downer. It works for the time it takes place in, but yeah. I was hoping for some extra cute lockdown moments. We had some, but then they got depressing again.

I also really hated the font. I don’t blame the authors on this one, though. I blame the publisher’s poor choice in font selection. It worked for the texts we see, but it’s super ugly for the main story.

I think this book would be better if I had read it a few years from now as opposed to the world finally returning to somewhat normal. I’m not sure I would feel any different about it, as, again, lots of depressing things, but I think I would have enjoyed it more in a few years regardless. 

It’s not bad. It’s not super good. It’s alright. I think if you’re in the right headspace, however, you should give it a go.

Book Review: The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas

The American Roommate Experiment

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The American Roommate Experiment 〰️

We get it; Lina and Rosie are best friends. You don't have to state that every time they even think about each other.

Okay, that snarky comment aside, this book. Urg! I loved it so much! As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I prefer reading "gay" romances, though I do enjoy reading about "the straights," too. Just not as much. Until now. The only thing that would make this romance book absolutely perfect (for me) was if the two MCs were of the same gender. (Though I love that there was an LGBTQ+ rep, and it wasn't made a big deal, so props for that).

Seriously though, how could Rosie NOT fall in love with Lucas? Even me, a lesbian, was in love with him. I can see how everything in this book could be considered cheesy, but I'll be honest, I'm a massive sucker for over-the-top cheesy romance, and this book nailed it.

The only thing I wasn't 100% on board with was that Rosie was already super-crushing on Lucas before he entered the picture. I love a good friends-to-lovers trope; I even wrote a whole book about it, but having her already be into him is like having the ending spoiled. Yes, we know they're going to get together. It's a romance, after all, but I wanted to read about her falling in love with him from scratch and not already having a leg up in the competition, so to speak. Even Lucas was immediately infatuated with her. Which kind of made me want to smash their lips together because they were both not being adults and not communicating how they truly felt. Lots of heartache could have been solved early on if they didn't have simultaneously excellent and poor communication skills. (I get the miscommunication trope is excellent for tension in this genre, but still).

When I bought this book, I wasn't aware that it was kind of a sequel/spin-off of another book, The Spanish Love Deception. But I read it anyway. Thankfully, it works just as well as a standalone in case you are an idiot like me and don't realize this was book two. (But since I loved this book so much, I obviously had to get the other book so I could read about how Lina and Aaron fell in love. I mean, I guess that's a spoiler for The Spanish Love Deception, but not really. It's a romance. If they didn't end up together at the end, it's not a romance).

That said, I loved reading these two fall harder for each other as the novel went on. It's the kind of romance fantasy I can escape into (and secretly wish I had, haha). I'm not sure if the first book can top this one. I truly loved these cheaters and their stories. But now I have to read book one to see Rosie from Lina's POV and read her story.

If you're looking for a cute romance, this is for sure worth the read. You don't even need to read The Spanish Love Deception to enjoy it! (Like me!) Though I'm still going to read book one now. I want more of these characters in any way I can.

Book Review: Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Onyx Storm

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Onyx Storm 〰️

I loved this book. But even though I enjoyed it, it had some issues to go with the good.

Rants and raves ahead.

The first half of the book felt like filler. It was interesting enough for me to be engaged, but I wouldn’t call it groundbreaking literature or anything. I didn’t really care for the whole “quest squad” portion of the book. Well, again, enjoyed it enough to keep reading, but it could definitely have been condensed or something. The only cool thing to happen during the whole “island hopping” portion was Andarna finding her family. (Well, and Xaden’s mom suddenly appears. That was interesting as well). At least with the island hopping, we learned more about the world and how other cultures live. I thought it was interesting that there was no magic outside the Continent. I just assumed magic was everywhere in this world, but I was wrong. Plus, Violent didn’t have to info dump all the new world-building facts we learned in this book, so that’s a plus.

But honestly? I wanted more Xaden turning venin plot, which I found surprisingly lacking. Sure, we have Violent and gang looking for a cure (and so far finding none). But, and this is compared to the previous books, Xaden was barely in this book (in my opinion). We barely even have him and Violent talking down the bond since he blocks her out most of the time. The dynamic between them was lacking. Which, speaking of, when they were together, all they wanted to do was bone. (Which fair, but there is a war going on, guys). It’s been a while since I read Iron Flame, but I distinctly remember Violet having a love/hate relationship with Xaden throughout the entire book because she couldn’t trust him fully, and thus she was barely able to tell him she loved him. Now suddenly he becomes venin and she won’t shut up about how much she loves him and he’s her everything and she’d basically say screw the world if it meant saving Xaden. Did I forget something from Iron Flame? How did she shift her feelings so harshly? I’m sure I’m forgetting something that happened near the end, so I guess this is on me, but I’m not re-reading a 500-page book to jog my memory (as much as I enjoyed said book my first read).

Now let’s talk characters. Loads of major characters from the previous books (like Sloan) basically disappear for most of the book. And we get some new (at least I don’t recall them in the last one) characters that I don’t care about. And when they died, I was like, oh, I’m supposed to be sad? There was a guy who got shot with an arrow during the island-hopping bit, and he died, and I honestly had no idea who this character was. Was he even in the previous book? Yarros made it sound like he was a bigger player than normal just because he was on this quest squad mission, but I really don’t recall him, and if his first appearance was actually only in this book? Yikes. I think his death was supposed to be impactful, but I didn’t feel anything. He contributed nothing to the story. And Sloan? Yarros made a huge deal about Sloan in Iron Flame,e but she’s almost nonexistent in Onyx Storm. She was only there for her signet in both books. (Which is a super lame signet to have if you ask me. Helpful, but only during certain occasions. 90% of the time, her signet is useless if you ask me. Well, I suppose she could drain someone of power not on the battlefield, which is great, but she’s not being used to do that in this series, and thus she’s only around when the plot needs her). Even Rhiannon is barely around, and she’s Violet's best friend!

Which, speaking of Rhi, she gets her own POV chapter near the end of the book that contributed nothing to the story. It was a POV of stuff that already happened to Violet, but seen from Rhi’s POV. Yarros could have utilized our time with Rhiannon a lot better. At least with Imogen’s random POV chapter, we get new information (and a death I actually cared about). While the random one-off chapter POVs not from Violet's perspective were mostly interesting, it did throw me off. I mean, we spent like 96.7% (not an accurate number) inside Violet's mind, and randomly near the end, we have three non-Violet chapters? Weird stylistic choice, but okay.

Now I know I just ranted, but I gotta admit, I loved the hell out of this story. Though admittedly, the first half of the book was a little show (again, island hopping), but once it picked up, it picked up HARD. It was actually going to be a four-star read, but the latter half of the book, and especially the ending (omg that ending!!) made this a solid five. I knew Yarros was going to end this on a cliffhanger; she’s done so in the previous two books, but hot damn! Book four can’t come fast enough.

I loved how Andarna broke the bond (and later returns, but we don’t know much about that part yet), how we get more backstory regarding Asher Sorrengail, and the introduction (and end lol) of Violet's nemesis. I can’t recall how to spell or say her name, but it was something like Theopanie (stupid name for such a cool, badass character, but I digress). Plus, we learn that Violet may not be who we thought she was because her parents did something with the goddess Dunne. I’m interested in learning more about that. Who knew there was a backstory behind her hair? I mean, of course, Violet has to be “special”. But honestly, if the MCs of our books weren’t, there probably wouldn’t be a story, so I’m not mad that “she’s not like other girls/riders”.

Also, that cover?? The whole Empyrean series has amazing covers, honestly. Each one is soooo gorgeous. And my copy of Onyx Storm has beautiful sprayed edges with dragons on it. And the formatting and that map? Erg. So good. Even if you hate this series, you gotta admit, the covers are fantastic. (But I love this series, so I proudly display them on my bookshelves.)

All in all, I think this is a solid addition to the series. It’s a five-star read, but because of the slower start, I don’t think it’s as good as the first two, but I still had a blast reading it. There were even audible gasps! (When Riddoc got stabbed) and some actual laugh-out-loud moments (nothing major, but some lines made me chuckle), so I call this a win. I’ll for sure be continuing this series, and I can’t wait for the next book to arrive.