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booksbytheglass's reviews
841 reviews
A Game of Retribution by Scarlett St. Clair
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
as A TOUCH OF RUIN was my least favorite of peresphone’s series, I had a feeling this one was going to go the same way mostly because of the entire book being one big miscommunication 🤡
I did enjoy this one a little more than peresphone’s POV - mostly due to the fact that hades is a true king of the underworld and I’m here for all of the wicked deeds
and can we talk about the backstory with dionysus? I loved the little side quest with him and ariadne and what may become of the consequences of theseus’ actions 👀
I think this installment set up the next part of the series quite nicely - and gave a clearer view into what hades’ thoughts were behind his slightly selfish but good intentioned moves in this era of their relationship
I’m finding myself enjoying the hades’ POVs more than peresphone’s which is so shocking to me!!!
rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: provence rosé
I did enjoy this one a little more than peresphone’s POV - mostly due to the fact that hades is a true king of the underworld and I’m here for all of the wicked deeds
and can we talk about the backstory with dionysus? I loved the little side quest with him and ariadne and what may become of the consequences of theseus’ actions 👀
I think this installment set up the next part of the series quite nicely - and gave a clearer view into what hades’ thoughts were behind his slightly selfish but good intentioned moves in this era of their relationship
I’m finding myself enjoying the hades’ POVs more than peresphone’s which is so shocking to me!!!
rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: provence rosé
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
hmmm okay I have hopes for the remaining books of this series … at first, it was giving all of the x-men and AGGGTM vibes with the special school and the one girl who thinks she can solve all of the crimes…
but then we see that girl solve (drum roll please!!) a total of ZERO CRIMES 😒 and yes I know this book largely works to set up the rest of the series and get the readers invested, but we couldn’t even get one crime resolved? not even one?
I just wished we got more bones than a quick intro to the school, the characters, and the overarching cold case plaguing the past - in which I assume will be solved by the end 🤞🏼 pls I’m begging
while I definitely will read the rest of the series, I’m definitely not a fan of this opener as it dragged too long on unnecessary clues and traps without actually giving the readers any inkling as to how the cases (yes multiple) will be solved
and can I say I saw that reveal at the end coming a mile away? 🫥
rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: dry creek zinfandel
but then we see that girl solve (drum roll please!!) a total of ZERO CRIMES 😒 and yes I know this book largely works to set up the rest of the series and get the readers invested, but we couldn’t even get one crime resolved? not even one?
I just wished we got more bones than a quick intro to the school, the characters, and the overarching cold case plaguing the past - in which I assume will be solved by the end 🤞🏼 pls I’m begging
while I definitely will read the rest of the series, I’m definitely not a fan of this opener as it dragged too long on unnecessary clues and traps without actually giving the readers any inkling as to how the cases (yes multiple) will be solved
and can I say I saw that reveal at the end coming a mile away? 🫥
rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: dry creek zinfandel
A Game of Fate by Scarlett St. Clair
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I cannot believe how much I LOVED this one 🥹🥹 I was expecting it to be a little boring since this is basically the same story as A TOUCH OF DARKNESS but from hades’ POV - but I was so wrong omg
not only did we get all of the swoon worthy moments from the first book but with pining hades at the helm 😮💨 but we also got so much more backstory with the gods!! and set up the future conflict with the triad so well!!
I loved the moments with hecate and hermes - we got a little of their relationship with hades from peresphone’s eyes, but their banter and friendship was everything! I laughed out loud so many times at hermes’ quips
and the firsthand look at hades’ relationship with his brothers? that we’ve never seen before? I was so happy to get all of the juicy backstories pls
rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: rosa regale sparkling wine
not only did we get all of the swoon worthy moments from the first book but with pining hades at the helm 😮💨 but we also got so much more backstory with the gods!! and set up the future conflict with the triad so well!!
I loved the moments with hecate and hermes - we got a little of their relationship with hades from peresphone’s eyes, but their banter and friendship was everything! I laughed out loud so many times at hermes’ quips
and the firsthand look at hades’ relationship with his brothers? that we’ve never seen before? I was so happy to get all of the juicy backstories pls
rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: rosa regale sparkling wine
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I haven’t read a gooooodddd young adult thriller since AGGGTM or one of us is lying - and holy crap this was so fantastic!! it gave all of the vibes of none shall break with the found family vibes of six of crows 🥹
I’m just obsessed with the found family trope - and doing it among young FBI teens training to be agents someday? pls it was so easy to love
jennifer lynn barnes knows how to write a series by creating an overarching mystery that keeps the reader going back for me while wrapping up individual stories per book. and I can see that formula working perfectly with this series!! I feel a binge coming on!!
following cassie, a natural profiler, and her other fellow naturals at quantico, I couldn’t get enough of their unique qualities and traits - and how they still maintain their own teamwork qualities!! and the case that they were working on was 😮💨😵 it had me so intrigued
I absolutely NEED to know what happens next - and how the characters continue their studies despite the events of this book! I was so shocked by the killer reveal y’all
rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: cantalupo il mimo nebbiolo rosé
I’m just obsessed with the found family trope - and doing it among young FBI teens training to be agents someday? pls it was so easy to love
jennifer lynn barnes knows how to write a series by creating an overarching mystery that keeps the reader going back for me while wrapping up individual stories per book. and I can see that formula working perfectly with this series!! I feel a binge coming on!!
following cassie, a natural profiler, and her other fellow naturals at quantico, I couldn’t get enough of their unique qualities and traits - and how they still maintain their own teamwork qualities!! and the case that they were working on was 😮💨😵 it had me so intrigued
I absolutely NEED to know what happens next - and how the characters continue their studies despite the events of this book! I was so shocked by the killer reveal y’all
rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: cantalupo il mimo nebbiolo rosé
This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I absolutely devour everything kennedy ryan writes!!! she crafts the most heart-wrenching, tear-jerking romances that make the readers THINK and I couldn’t recommend her stories more 🥹🩷
the first half of this story was WILD y’all, featuring FBI investigations, betrayals, and a headstrong woman putting her life back together after everything falls apart 🥲 as I typically go in blind to books, I was not expecting any of this in the slightest and found myself gasping at every turn!!
the second half of the story definitely dragged more - but it spent more time focusing on soledad and judah and their individual journeys through rough times 🥹 which honestly was super inspiring!!
soledad’s journey to find self-love and discovery was so beautiful to read about! I loved how she finally prioritized herself in her life with leaning on support from her friends and family - and can we talk about her growing business by investing in herself? so poetic
while I didn’t love this one quite as much as BEFORE I LET GO, the beautiful themes still resonated with me so much 🥹🥹 so many tears!!
thank you forever to my friends at forever and grand central for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! happy pub day!
rating: 5 stars
wine pairing: south african pinotage
the first half of this story was WILD y’all, featuring FBI investigations, betrayals, and a headstrong woman putting her life back together after everything falls apart 🥲 as I typically go in blind to books, I was not expecting any of this in the slightest and found myself gasping at every turn!!
the second half of the story definitely dragged more - but it spent more time focusing on soledad and judah and their individual journeys through rough times 🥹 which honestly was super inspiring!!
soledad’s journey to find self-love and discovery was so beautiful to read about! I loved how she finally prioritized herself in her life with leaning on support from her friends and family - and can we talk about her growing business by investing in herself? so poetic
while I didn’t love this one quite as much as BEFORE I LET GO, the beautiful themes still resonated with me so much 🥹🥹 so many tears!!
thank you forever to my friends at forever and grand central for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! happy pub day!
rating: 5 stars
wine pairing: south african pinotage
Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
this was honestly the most unique book I’ve ever read!! you cannot tell me that another serial killer romance is out there in the world right now 🤯 and I loved (almost) every second of it!
for a romance between two serial killers, it was 100% not what I was expecting!! it was fluffy and cute between them 🥹 and honestly I wanted them to keep killing together it was kinda adorable (words no one has ever said about murderers)
and while I’m on the subject of defending them, I do appreciate how they target the worst of the worst killers and not innocents! I wanted so much more of their backstory though, other than a few high level conversations… and I swear the balance between cuteness and spiciness was 😮💨😮💨
I just love rowan and sloane’s characters endlessly and how complex and twisted they are (yet perfect for each other)! AND THE RESTAURANT? pls I cried 🥹
also, this is a me problem but it turns out I have a line when it comes to thrillers and killers and it is cannibalism lol 🙃 this is the only thing keeping me from rating this 5 stars because I actively threw up in my mouth multiple times during certain scenes… that was too much for me…
but I cannot wait for lachlan and lark’s story 🥹 we have to stan a family of serial killers and contract killers thanks
rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: I actively am still thinking about cannibalism so I cannot in good faith reco a wine for this
for a romance between two serial killers, it was 100% not what I was expecting!! it was fluffy and cute between them 🥹 and honestly I wanted them to keep killing together it was kinda adorable (words no one has ever said about murderers)
and while I’m on the subject of defending them, I do appreciate how they target the worst of the worst killers and not innocents! I wanted so much more of their backstory though, other than a few high level conversations… and I swear the balance between cuteness and spiciness was 😮💨😮💨
I just love rowan and sloane’s characters endlessly and how complex and twisted they are (yet perfect for each other)! AND THE RESTAURANT? pls I cried 🥹
also, this is a me problem but it turns out I have a line when it comes to thrillers and killers and it is cannibalism lol 🙃 this is the only thing keeping me from rating this 5 stars because I actively threw up in my mouth multiple times during certain scenes… that was too much for me…
but I cannot wait for lachlan and lark’s story 🥹 we have to stan a family of serial killers and contract killers thanks
rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: I actively am still thinking about cannibalism so I cannot in good faith reco a wine for this
Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
this one was the best installment of this series yet!!! 🤯 after loving the first one, not liking the second one at all, and feeling like the third one just set up the fourth one, I was so pleasantly surprised at how action-packed this was!!
finlay and vero are back at it again, this time racing against time to rescue vero’s boyfriend from the mafia and clear their names!! and while both of their actions left me going “huh” at their stupidity, everything worked out so nicely for them at the end?? I was 100% that math lady meme 😶
this one picked up right where the third one left off, and let me tell you, I needed a recap for sure because I couldn’t remember anything 🫨 the names and events truly were a mystery to me so thank you google
I will say that the action and non-stop adventures definitely kept me going and led me to binge this in one day! and I loved how it included all of the characters from ex-husband steven to finlay’s hippy mom to nick, the hot cop boyfriend!
I have no idea where this series is going from here - especially as everything was wrapped up with a nice lil bow (even though I’m still wondering how they managed to get away with it all but it’s fine)
thank you to netgalley and minotaur for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: new zealand sauvignon blanc
finlay and vero are back at it again, this time racing against time to rescue vero’s boyfriend from the mafia and clear their names!! and while both of their actions left me going “huh” at their stupidity, everything worked out so nicely for them at the end?? I was 100% that math lady meme 😶
this one picked up right where the third one left off, and let me tell you, I needed a recap for sure because I couldn’t remember anything 🫨 the names and events truly were a mystery to me so thank you google
I will say that the action and non-stop adventures definitely kept me going and led me to binge this in one day! and I loved how it included all of the characters from ex-husband steven to finlay’s hippy mom to nick, the hot cop boyfriend!
I have no idea where this series is going from here - especially as everything was wrapped up with a nice lil bow (even though I’m still wondering how they managed to get away with it all but it’s fine)
thank you to netgalley and minotaur for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: new zealand sauvignon blanc
Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I love a good podcast thriller - there’s something about the combined listening and getting the backstory at the same time is just 😮💨 (see: a flicker in the dark, none of this is true)
so it’s absolutely NO surprise that I loved this one too! the way that the amnesia trope is mixed with a neighborhood thriller was done so well, and I binged the entire thing in one day as I tried to figure out the whodunnit!!!
while I did enjoy my guess more rather than the ultimate murderer, the journey was SO worth it 🫡 and reaffirms my scaredy cat attitude towards men and being nice towards men LMFAO
the cast of characters was so well-rounded and balanced that I found myself expecting every single person (even the sweet ol grannie) at one time or another 🤪
this is such a fast paced and bingeable thriller - thank you to netgalley and henry holt for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: columbia valley chardonnay
so it’s absolutely NO surprise that I loved this one too! the way that the amnesia trope is mixed with a neighborhood thriller was done so well, and I binged the entire thing in one day as I tried to figure out the whodunnit!!!
while I did enjoy my guess more rather than the ultimate murderer, the journey was SO worth it 🫡 and reaffirms my scaredy cat attitude towards men and being nice towards men LMFAO
the cast of characters was so well-rounded and balanced that I found myself expecting every single person (even the sweet ol grannie) at one time or another 🤪
this is such a fast paced and bingeable thriller - thank you to netgalley and henry holt for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: columbia valley chardonnay
A Queen of Thieves & Chaos by K.A. Tucker
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this was the best one of the series yet!! 🫡 it is so action-packed with countless battles and planning to take back the throne - and we get multiple POVs!!! I could cry 🥹
seeing beyond romeria’s POV solidified the change in pace to me!! being able to get inside zander, atticus, and gracen’s heads was just SO good 🥲 we have to stan a conflicted bunch okay
and this may be an unpopular opinion, but I absolutely loved attticus and gracen’s chapters!!!! the forbidden romance elements mixed with regret on taking the throne was just *chef kiss* - I love tension and it shows woo
I still felt like this book served only to set up the final book - but at least we got more of a full picture of the world and its conflicts in this one!! and the fact we get dragons now? screaming crying throwing up!!!
is this the most creative romantasy series I’ve read? no, but tucker does an amazing job of yanking the reader into the universe and convincing that these characters are morally grey but so human (even though they’re immortal) 🥹🥹
rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: sonoma coast chardonnay
seeing beyond romeria’s POV solidified the change in pace to me!! being able to get inside zander, atticus, and gracen’s heads was just SO good 🥲 we have to stan a conflicted bunch okay
and this may be an unpopular opinion, but I absolutely loved attticus and gracen’s chapters!!!! the forbidden romance elements mixed with regret on taking the throne was just *chef kiss* - I love tension and it shows woo
I still felt like this book served only to set up the final book - but at least we got more of a full picture of the world and its conflicts in this one!! and the fact we get dragons now? screaming crying throwing up!!!
is this the most creative romantasy series I’ve read? no, but tucker does an amazing job of yanking the reader into the universe and convincing that these characters are morally grey but so human (even though they’re immortal) 🥹🥹
rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: sonoma coast chardonnay
A Curse of Blood & Stone by K.A. Tucker
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
hmm okay, I was intrigued in the first novel as it introduced the world and the conflict within it, setting up the rest of the series - which usually means the plot and characterization amp up in the second and third books!! sadly, that was not the case with this one 😭
I was extremely bored reading solely from romy’s POV and just spending chapters upon chapters of wandering through the forest to escape the kingdom and the wrath they left behind. I just wanted something to happen that wasn’t a predictable minor kidnapping and romy learning how to use her magic…
xander wasn’t much better as his communication skills desperately need to be worked on 😑 how can you expect someone to read your mind and figure out that you still love that person when your mouth opens and you say the opposite? like come on 🙄🙄
I just wanted so much more from this, and it’s got me concerned that the ending is going to be so rushed in the next book since we spent the whole time walking in this one 🥴🥴 and more from the side characters please!
rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: castilla y león tempranillo
I was extremely bored reading solely from romy’s POV and just spending chapters upon chapters of wandering through the forest to escape the kingdom and the wrath they left behind. I just wanted something to happen that wasn’t a predictable minor kidnapping and romy learning how to use her magic…
xander wasn’t much better as his communication skills desperately need to be worked on 😑 how can you expect someone to read your mind and figure out that you still love that person when your mouth opens and you say the opposite? like come on 🙄🙄
I just wanted so much more from this, and it’s got me concerned that the ending is going to be so rushed in the next book since we spent the whole time walking in this one 🥴🥴 and more from the side characters please!
rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: castilla y león tempranillo