effy's reviews
1396 reviews

 

I had an absolutely amazing time with this book. It is so full of twists and turns and I loved the relationships that Hector has with both Romy and Arwyn. It was so delightful to see Hector embracing a chance to no longer be a lone wolf and to lean on those around him. Alderson never fails when it comes to writing compelling banter between his characters and this book was no exception with it sizzling right off of the page. I really loved Caym (his crow) too and thought he was a really interesting and unique character.

The magic system was really interesting as it was grounded in an elemental system but Alderson managed to create something unique by having each witch’s expression of their magic system be just a little bit different. Additionally, I thought the rings of colour that appear around a witch’s eyes when they tap into their power was a really nice touch.

As the story progresses, the reader is learning new information alongside Hector. This works really well as neither Hector nor the reader is ever fully sure of the limitations of the new knowledge and there is a question of whether the things that he does will work or not. I am very excited to see the “old magic” explored further as the series continues.

 

 

Rowan is excited to start his final year at Mockingbird Preparatory Academy and to make it his year however his plans are upended when he receives a new roommate in the form of Casper Bellamy. Casper is a prince in the vampire world and is excited to start his diplomatic tour of the world but first he needs to get through the year at Mockingbird and prove that he can control his thirst and keep his identity a secret; his new roommate might be an issue since he smells delicious.

I was so excited for this book and it did not disappoint. I loved the sweet budding romance between Casper and Rowan as they found themselves pulled to one another. I was particularly impressed by the way that vampirism and queerness were used almost interchangeably to explore the fear of “the other”. The unflinching way that Casper was persecuted for something he wasn’t able to change about himself hit really hard, especially when he was likened to a groomer at one point. This is a book that is likely going to land all the harder given the current political climate but there is also a really uplifting sense of hope to the story that change and better is possible.

I respected the way that Arnold didn’t shy away from hard truths especially with Casper’s back story. What happened to him isn’t explicitly spelled-out for the reader but we receive enough information to paint a horrifying picture. 

Honestly, I am just absolutely obsessed with this book and it makes my queer vampire-loving heart so happy to see the lore and genre used in this way.

 

 

For such a short book, I felt like the pacing at the start wasn’t as tight as I would have liked it to be; the first ~30% is spent building up how Morgan ends up on an island with Scylla without any perspectives from Scylla. I suspect the reason that so much time is spent on the build-up is because it’s establishing the set-up for the whole series where these women who were being trafficked meets mythical monster saviours but I feel as though there was probably a way to have done this in a more efficient manner.

One Scylla and Morgan’s paths cross, I had basically no critiques as the romance between them sizzles and it is abundantly clear how good they are for one another. I did have a little bit of difficulty figuring out just what part of Scylla is analogous to a clit but beyond that, it was a really tight tale.

Despite a bit of rocky start, I had a lot of fun with this story and would definitely be interested in reading more from this series in the future.

 

 

Fake dating is liking catnip to me and this book did not disappoint. I really love the banter that Aitchess fills her books with and the clever world-building means that all of the interpersonal relationships are so incredibly believable. Cal and Luca are immediately attracted to one another which I would say isn’t generally my cup of tea however the combination of clearly established lore around mating bonds and the fact that instalust isn’t being used as a sort of cheat code so time is still spent developing the foundation of mutual respect that is necessary for a healthy relationship means that I was so on-board for this couple.

This book deals with some challenging topics including parental loss, drug addiction, grooming, and coercive controlling relationships. Whilst there is always an element of the dark side of things in a mafia romance, these topics could be particularly triggering for some readers. Whilst these elements are core to who the characters are in the present, only enough time is spent on them to establish their impact and move the characters along their paths to healing.

One tiny (and way tiny, I mean it was literally one scene) thing that didn’t work for me was when one of the characters woke up to receiving oral. This is something that makes me really uncomfortable and was made more so by the fact that there had not been any prior conversation about establishing consent (although I know from experience that even if this is present, I do not enjoy such scenes). The scene was very much consensual between participants. Obviously this is a very subjective thing and different things will make different readers uncomfortable.

This was an overall excellent book but I think one of the strongest aspects, beyond the top tier romance, was the way that the lore of the world that these books existed within was deepened. There was one particular moment that I was initially surprised by and then I remembered it is a common feature in more traditional lore around a certain supernatural creature. I also think it was interesting to see a different couple’s approach to the mate bonds. Speaking of other couples, I have two things to say: firstly, fans of Angelo and Vin will be glad to know that we get a healthy dose of both in this book; secondly, are rooftops going to be ✨a thing✨ in this series? Not complaining, just wondering?

I can’t wait to continue this series!

 

 

I had an absolutely amazing time reading this book. Clark effortlessly weaves together romance, fantasy, and intrigue where concepts of good and evil are explored and the question posed to the reader who the true demons are.

The pacing of this book is excellent, moving at a steady clip but never feeling as though it is giving the reader whiplash and plenty of time is given for the readers to enjoy the truly top tier banter between the characters. It is clear that a lot of attention to detail has been given to make all of the character fully-realised people and it becomes all too easy to forget that Jules and Selene aren’t actually battling demons right this moment.

This book really takes you on a journey and now I am immediately desperate to see where the conclusion of this duology takes us.

You just know this book is gonna be exploding on BookTok and Bookstagram when it releases next year so come join the cool kids and read it now!

 

 

Wow! This book had so many twists and turns, I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I absolutely adored the romance in A Betrayal of Storms and somehow Alderson managed to massively up his game with this book to deliver something incredibly captivating and delicious.

I really appreciated the fact that there are really consequences and costs to characters’ actions and I love the way that I feel as though nobody is safe. There is something so delightful in a story where the characters don’t all have plot armour!

I can not recommend this book and series highly enough, I am utterly desperate to know where Robin’s story goes next!

 

 

Alderson does an incredible job balancing an incredibly engaging romance plot with a sizzling slowburn romance between Robin and his fey bodyguard. The book is chock full of twists and turns that I could never see coming and kept me engaged from start to finish. The romance between Erix and Robin felt authentic and I really appreciated the care and time that Alderson put into fully fleshing out this romance.

I really enjoyed the magic system that is divided into seasonal courts and feels somewhat element-based but with scope to be so much more. I loved the unique touch of making the magic of each court a finite pool so the more family members there are, the weaker the magic. This was a really cool unique touch that I had not seen before.

Overall, I had a really great time reading this story that feels wholly unique. I eagerly anticipate seeing where the story and Robin’s journey takes us next.

 

 

Hall has an incredible talent for writing romances that are thoroughly ground in the people and the place. I love the way that his characters communicate openly and are fully-rounded humans whose emotions run the full gamut. Pansies is very much Hall at his very peak skill as we follow Alfie and Fen as they come to terms with the complexities of their blossoming relationship alongside complex feelings about the place where they grew up.

As someone who was born, and lived in for a few years, the North East of England, this book felt such a deep feeling of home for me. I also recognise the complicated feelings that arise around the area as it can be so glaring at times that it can feel like a place frozen in a time when things were more prosperous. But it is never not going to be home. Hall does a fantastic job of incorporating-in dialect and speech patterns so that the reader feels firmly seated in the setting of the story and can understand the people that surround our main characters.

As Hall acknowledges in his introduction to this revised edition, this is a very ambitious story with some thorny and emotional issues being confronted, however he handles them with an incredible level of skill and compassion. There is never a feeling that there are necessarily right and wrong answers and space is being held where characters can confront a sense of dissonance about their feelings and opinions.

At its heart, this book is a romance between two men and it is so beautiful and so very swoony.

Alexis Hall is very firmly a favourite author for me and I don’t think I will ever tire of the brilliance he brings to the genre. I don’t think I can recommend strongly enough this book to readers and am very excited to read more from the Spires series and Hall’s wider body of work in the future.

 

 

Whilst I enjoyed Monstrous when I read it, Venomous just HIT for me. I really enjoyed the way that Rhi really comes into her power in this book and there were some really fun moments *cough*RhiEatingARapist *cough* as well as the interpersonal relationships just being incredibly strong. The Girl Gang were at the core of Monstrous and they remain at the centre of the narrative in this book as Rhi initially attempts to shoulder her problems by herself but her friends are tenacious and gladly share in Rhi’s problems, looking for solutions.

Whilst some readers might feel that the messaging of feminine rage in this book was a little on-the-nose, I really enjoying the theme throughout this book that the monsters of myth aren’t truly the villains as well as men just being pigs. And now all I can hear is Circe in Epic saying that all she did was “reveal their true forms” when she turns Odysseus’ men into pigs. This theme feels very timely (unfortunately, when is it not?) and I love that Rubino does not temper the characters’ rage and they get to do what many wish they could in real life. The cannibalism scene was everything that I hoped for and more!

I am really excited and intrigued to see where this story goes next and additionally so that we will be getting a novella in the summer! The epilogue of Venomous sets up some very interesting things for what is next and I can’t wait to see how it pays off. 

 

 

There is something so particular about these books that I really enjoy. The lore of the dragons is so detailed and beautiful but told in a unique way through the folklore and stories of the fourteen realms. Bond does an incredible job of providing the lore in bitesize morsels at exactly the right time but also incorporating and element of an unreliable narrator to this because it is the stories that people tell as opposed to being the absolute truth and history.

I really enjoyed Saralene and Maddileh’s relationship and seeing their feelings blossom was a joy to read about. I also found Meinylyth to be so fun and her sense of humour had me bursting out laughing at multiple points as I was reading.

Whilst it feels as though Maddileh, Saralene, and Meinylyth’s stories are concluded for now, there is definitely room for more stories to be told of this world and I would gladly eat them up if Bond were to tell them.

These books are unlike anything that I have read before with so much attention to detail being paid to craft and exceptional character-work. I would highly recommend this series to all fantasy lovers and especially those who love dragons and sapphics with swords.