kewlkat70's reviews
150 reviews

Fast read and kinda trashy.  Lots of who did this to you??? But now that the Maven has decided to go all in with her quintet the action and plot moves forward quickly.  

This whole series is a fun RH palate cleanser.  The story is enjoyable with some elements that are original or at least not as overused as other similar stories.

A while ago I went through a bunch of Reverse Harem university series and I like the tropes but when they are bad they are very very bad

I liked the 2nd book better than the first book in this series BUT I discovered that the next 2 books haven't been written yet with no release date.  I thought I had lucked out as it was an earlier series.  

So I am disappointed and feeling a bit vindictive. 

Also, I realize I need more cute magical kids and less Christmas. 

It's cute. It's funny. It's sexy. 

It's extremely Pacific NW.  Witches in Portlandia without the self awareness.   

Not one of the authors best works but she's really really good at this so all is forgiven and I'm onto book 2.  

I'm not sure if this is a 5⭐ read but it really was a perfect read that seems to be so familiar and so new at the same time. 

This is a book about my gen x pop culture world.  I know all the references.  It reads like an old Stephen King book.  We are the last generation with friends named Patricia.   The women in the novel are a bit older than my cohort but I do not doubt this book is written for us about us. 

On one hand there is this steel magnolia sisterhood within a cheesy vampire horror novel.  Very VC Andrews although with less incest.  

Underneath is a story of women.  The silencing, the belittling, the humiliation.  Ridiculing them for their choice of books.   The invisible women of colour.  The shame of open secrets.  

It's a feel good story but also a sad story because no matter how much has really  changed? 

Sometimes you read books to enjoy and sometimes you read books for the beauty of the prose and the way the words on the page can say a lot with out being about much at all.  Except that it's about grief and letting go and resentments and fear of moving forward.  Of what the point actually is or if there is a point and if our lives have meaning and whether we have accomplished anything when it's our time to go.  

I hesitate on whether to just give this book 5⭐ as it's totally a very important book about serious and significant life matters.  And the structure makes me think OK this is the type of book we study in our modern lit classes as how the author has used (fake) historical first and secondary writings on Lincoln. The joke of it being that there probably is that many texts out there on every aspect of his life and the war.

I can't give it 5⭐ at least not now because while I know I just read a very important book about very important thoughts i have this irrational dislike for the lack of STORY.   This is a short novel but it surrounds one action and has that short story vibe which always leaves me feeling "....and then?". 

I'm of an age where I don't care to impress others with my deep knowledge of good literature.  I know it's good for me but sometimes it just feel like medicine and I would like that sugar to help it go down.  Would it take away from the writing?  I don't know.  It's not the intention of this book to be anything more than what it is.  So I have no criticisms about the story or writing or structure.  There is humour and great sadness and frustration and emptiness and so much of the human experience in one episode.  It's really good. 

It's also cold and distant and like a specimen to be examined in detail.   

Just missing the feeling of sinking into a creative world.  

Over all this series is a strong 4.25.  CM Sturrich is an author who is unabashedly self aware of this genre and her audience.  It's not quite a satire of the genre because it is serious in keeping the tropes we love - HEA, fated mates, arranged marriages etc.  it's just a delightful romp with so many Easter eggs and other delights along the way that are genius. 

The joke about no one knowing that "all our base belong to us" was a meme was too funny because it's true. 

I did not like the FMC in book 1 but grew to like her by the end.  She was annoying and made decisions that had her TSTL.  But then she called herself out and even recognized silly plot devices as "dumb dumb Alien romance shit".   

The love between Eve and her BFF Name reminded me of Sadie and Aran from Jasmin Mas Cruel Shifterverse.  They are my BFF goals.  I love an author who puts as much care and detail in developing the friendships of the FMC as her relationships.  

I am looking forward to exploring more of CM Sturrich's work! 

This book is much better than the first book as the FMC has some self awareness of her idiocy and calls herself TSTL several times.  As long as she is aware of her stubbornness as well as the complete ridiculousness of the situation she is in then her character is far more acceptable.  At least I like her more and it makes the story a whole lot more fun 

I love authors that don't take the genre too seriously.   I don't know what the fantasy version of Alien Smut Slut would be but I'm all for it.  

The only criticism I have is the pacing.   The story gets a bit sticky (literally and figuratively, but the literal stickiness is not a problem).  I suspect it has to do with the structure of adding one mate per book and circumstances cause 2 of the 3 MMC to be out of the picture.  So there is a lot of build up for each character and that makes the story feel like it's dragging at points.  

I love that CM Sturrich lays out her philosophy for a slow build and fast burn story so we get plenty of sex but we also get to spend quality time with each character.   I feel like she achieved a better balance between the characters in The Witchwood Boys and the slow build was able wind its way through all three men simultaneously.  Here she tries to go one MMC at a time and what's missing is interactions between the MMCs.  A few more PoV chapter from each MMC would help. 
Perhaps we will see more interaction in the third book 

This is an audiobook review.  The narrator is wonderful and i find it helpful to have the proper pronunciations of names and objects.  It makes the narration sing in a way that would fall flat if I were reading text as I would not get the proper flow of words. 

The story is a rollercoaster from start to finish and it has my emotions all over the place.  I have no idea where this story is going with the main characters.  The three lead characters are complex so I love them and hate them at the same time. How can Ali be so fanatically rigid and yet so heroic and vulnerable?  Nahri is soft and stubborn, grumpy and vengeful.  Dara is emotional and troubled but also remorseless and selfish. 

The minor characters are also contradictions in behaviour.   Even the characters who are obviously the "bad guys" have motivations beyond plain villainy. 

The book ends with a twist that was unexpected but not a cheap cliffhanger ending.  Which is good now we know that not all dead things are what they seem.  Instead we are left with "I didn't see that coming...how exciting!" 

CM Sturrich is fast becoming one of my favourite writers.  She is creative, has a great sense of fun and just doesn't take the genre that seriously.  She is also an expert erotica writer.

But I have to down vote this novel because the FMC is insufferable and  even TSTL at times.   I like her fire but she is so oppositional and stubborn it is grating at times.  I would have preferred her to be more resourceful in other areas beyond how to put alien sex organs to optimal use.  

I have high hopes for the rest of the series as we are introduced to the other MMCs but have yet to have them all in the same room.   The story dragged a bit when it was only Eve and Abraxas and mostly in Eve's POV.  Fingers crossed that we get more story from all POV to keep the pace going. 

I really really wanted to like this book because I thoroughly enjoyed the legends of Thezmar series.  

But I just can't deal with Wren's always angry about everything attitude.   

I think this hatred trope doesn't work because we know ultimately they will end up together so it's boring watching the MMC try to win over the love of the embittered FMC.    Maybe there is a reader that enjoys reading the thawing out of a cold unfeeling character but to me it creates too much stupid inner monologue.

I don't love him.  I really dont.  I ignore this feeling inside me he makes me so angry 

Granted some writers can do the hate trope well.  Cora belts Simon with a frying pan.  Maybe it's the bitterness that turns me off.   If she was just happily enjoying her life and here comes some complete jerkwad ruining everything I can understand the anger.  But here it's a simmering anger that has no basis as the MMC has done nothing wrong other than existing.  

Of course he's snarky about it now as it's been 5 years so she should just get over herself which I have to agree with. 

Added to that we are going to read the same gauntlet of tests as Thea went through except now its poison not edged weapons?  

To top it off, Torj has a beard and I am vehemently against beards.