t0ast_and_t3a's reviews
398 reviews

Second Rite by Geneva Lee

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emotional funny mysterious 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

3.0

3/5🌟
3/5🌶️
4/5♥️

Growl-y, twisty, and spicy. Like, very growl-y and spicy. There a decent plot, and by the end, your questions from book one will be answered, but you’ll just have a new list by the end for book three—which is exactly what Lee intended. 

I have learned that I don’t like the overuse of the term “mate” though. It is used SO many times in this book—like, we get it already. (This is literally just a nit-picky thing for me, doesn’t take away from the overall story.)

And I guessed the big reveal while reading book one, but I still enjoyed how it was done. Looking forward to seeing if my theory for book three is correct.
Filthy Rich Vampire by Geneva Lee

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adventurous emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Love a good romantasy audiobook (especially one read by Teddy Hamilton!). This has so many tropes I don’t know if I can list them all, but “touch her and die” is the main one — so many growls when anyone mentions the FMC, just wow (LOL). Obviously there’s vampires, and obviously they’re rich, but there’s courts politics and mates and witches, and an interesting magic system. I’m invested in the characters enough to read the next. 
Pen Pal: Special Edition by J.T. Geissinger

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emotional mysterious 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? Yes

3.0

Not what I was expecting, but that speaks volumes when I bought this book for the sprayed edges (and I mean, the cover may have had a smidge to do with it👀). Spice, romance, and one hell of a third act twist. Not gonna lie, I wasn’t paying enough attention to the hints, so I got GOT in part 2. 

Perfect for a palette cleanser (ever read a book that just breaks your brain—that was me), or just for some fucking golden get-me-out-of-reality entertainment. 

3/5🌶️
4/5♥️
3/5🌟
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Bunny by Mona Awad

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

There’s so much to unpack—nearly all of it would spoil something. So, I’m going to give you three words—Visceral,  weird, brilliant. 

I love when a book shocks me, especially one that has me constantly asking “what the actual fuck” as I’m going through. 

I listened to the audiobook, but I really want to go back and physically read it. I think it’d be a different experience completely.

There are “Heathers” vibes for sure—but it’s the deep attention (attack?) of MFA programs that got me in the end. Honestly, I didn’t need to read this to know that MFA programs will either make or break your creativity(and I knew myself well enough to know I’d likely be the latter) but if I had read it before I made my decision to not continue with school after getting my bachelors, my decision might have been easier.

Some of the reviews I read for this book missed the biggest point—that nearly everything that happens is meant metaphorically, which is purposeful for both the FMC and the book as a whole. But also, missing this point is also a main theme in the book too, so well done, Awad—well fucking done.

Honestly, I think this is closer to a 4.5,  but I’ll leave that decision for my reread. 

**there is some triggering language and imagery throughout this book, so please check the warnings before diving in**
The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Black does it again, with her complex and morally skewed characters. And there’s always a twist—this one I saw a mile away—but still loved every minute of the ride.
Beautiful Graves by L.J. Shen

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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

So much happened in this book. Grief, love, betrayal—and it had me in a chokehold. I judged this book by the cover and am NOT unhappy about it.

You won’t always like the FMC, but you’ll understand her by the end. And I love when books do this—because it’s a very real human condition. 
Salt & Broom by Sharon Lynn Fisher

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emotional inspiring mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I did. The story is drastically different from the original (that was the point, of course), but making Jane a witch was such a good twist. Rochester refers to Jane as a few different supernatural beings in the original, so I loved this take on the “what if she was.” A lighter gothic feel to the setting of Thornfield, but the overall devotion was there. Though, the magical element made up for it in the end. Loved the romance element, though—even if they “fell madly in love” after, like, two days😂😂. It was the perfect amount of cheesy.


Switched between the audio and physical book—the narration is done well (for those who was to listen).
Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I love a good short story. This has is all—magic, curses, a little romance. 
What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher

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mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A short, almost psychological horror story. The first book in the series had been scarier, in the sense it was more grotesque and creepy. This one makes you question stories of folklore and whether to put any stock in them. Perfect length for what it was.
Immortality: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz

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mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

The plot and pacing was a bit slow, much more heavy on the historical themes in this one(less about the actual main character and more about what they were doing around these well-known figures), and it wasn’t until halfway that a main character in book 1 gets reintroduced(which seems so odd after the last chapter on book 1). There seemed to be less of a focus on the themes of the first book too. 

Honestly, the plot for this one seemed a bit all over the place, and then wrapped up all in the last 2-3 chapters, when it seemed like it’d been ages since the subject had been brought up and/or debated. There was a rather unnecessary love triangle of sorts too.

I liked the ambiguity at the end, but I think I was just expecting more after the first book.