Mini Reviews
Hi everyone!
I thought I might start a regular feature in which I write short (150 words or less) reviews of books I have read outside of the podcast.
The Crown of Gilded Bones (From Blood and Ash #3)
The third instalment in the From Blood and Ash series by Jennifer L. Armentrout deals with the repercussions of the explosive revelation at the end of ‘Kingdom of Flesh and Fire’.
The pacing was all over the place - the first few chapters were quite action packed, but then there are 300 pages of not much happening and then a sudden rush to the finish. I felt that decisions were made too quickly, the repetitiveness of some of the dialogue also started to get annoying now - we get it, Poppy asks a lot of questions and Casteel is turned on by her violent outbursts. It was cute at first, now it's just lazy writing. The rollercoaster of revelations at the end of the book was also just too much for me, it started to feel like a soap opera.
Rating: 3/5
The Switch
In this contemporary rom-com by Beth O’Leary, Leena and her grandmother Eileen decide to switch lives for a few weeks. Eileen wants an adventure, while Leena needs to figure out some things about her future.
I was completely charmed by this story from the first page. It flowed really well, I loved the dialogue between the characters as well as the characters themselves. As with her other books, the story is told through two POVs with alternating chapters - I think the author does this really well.
I appreciate how grounded in reality this was - the characters are flawed and they are dealing with grief, anxiety, relationship issues which makes them relatable. There were sweet romances and new friendships and just overall a lovely, very enjoyable read that I will be picking up again in the future.
Rating: 5/5
How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories (The Folk of The Air #3.5)
This is a series of short stories, I suppose, giving us an insight into Cardan's character through childhood to the end of ‘Queen of Nothing’.
The original YA Fantasy trilogy was one of my favourite reads of 2020, with the ultimate enemies to lovers dynamic between the main characters and a deadly land of fae. Those books were told from Jude’s point of view, so it was interesting to get Cardan’s.
This novella was sweet, easy to read and wonderfully illustrated. It was nice to be back in Holly Black’s Folk of Air world and to revisit Jude and Cardan.
Rating: 4/5
The Unhoneymooners
My first Christina Lauren book, but surely it won't be my last.
The book follows Olive and Ethan, maid of honour and best man to Olive's twin sister and Ethan's younger brother whose wedding is derailed when everyone gets food poisoining from the seafood buffet. Everyone, that is, apart from Olive and Ethan, who then go on the newlyweds' honeymoon in Hawaii...
This was the typical nemesis-to-lovers, fake-dating, forced-proximity romantic comedy that was genuinely laugh-out-loud funny. Was this wholly predictable? Yes. Did I enjoy it immensely nonetheless? Also yes. I loved Olive and Ethan's banter, and any book with a Buffy reference gets a thumbs up from me.
Rating: 4/5
Window Shopping
Another contemporary rom-com, this time about Stella, a young woman looking for a second chance in life, and Aiden, the general manager of a department store who gives it to her.
This was a really quick read featuring an angsty FMC and cute/optimistic MMC whose instant attraction grows into a really nice, believable relationship, sprinkled with a lot of Christmas content and some super hot sex scenes.
I honestly can't wait to pick up another Tessa Bailey book soon.
Rating: 5/5
Have you read any of these books? Do you agree with my ratings? Let me know in the comments below, via e-mail or DM us on Instagram - we love to hear from you!
Until next time, keep reading!
Lucia