taylorhathcock's reviews
436 reviews

“It’s under the most unbearable conditions that the sharpest, most dangerous weapons are forged."

I don't even know where to start. I am in love with this book. It had all the things you could possibly need in a fantasy romance. I really loved that we just jumped into the story. Saeris might be my new favorite female main character of all time. She is full of fight and sass and she doesn't back down. I think I immediately fell in love with her character and it just got better and better. Kingfisher... oh boy... the broody, slightly unhinged, shadow daddy that you can't help but love even though you want to hate him. The banter between these two is everything I could have asked for and then some. The fact that the book could have been a smash with just them is made even better by the supporting characters. All of which are so different but make this perfect little found family dynamic. 
 The drama in this book is amazing. I loved the pacing and the way events unfolded. I have to admit that I didn't see certain things coming and was completely blown away by them. I spent like the last quarter of this book on the edge of my seat, pulling out my hair haha. I can't think of the last time I was so invested in a story and the characters. I honestly don't have a single bad thing to say about this book. I really couldn't put it down and didn't want to finish because then it would be over. I really think this will be one of those books that I recommend to everyone from now on. I cannot wait for book 2.

I have to say that this one wasn't what I expected at all to be honest. It really felt more like a romance at times. The horror element was nice though and the way it was done was phenomenal. Who doesn't love a good monster possession with a monster that wants to literally drain the life from you and steal all your potential futures. I think for me the book was just sometimes hard to stay invested in because I thought it was going to be a horror, and those elements were super amazing, but then we would randomly get the focus that was straight up just romance. I have to say horror romance is not a combo I was expecting though. I just wish that we didn't have to spend so much of the book focusing on the events of Angelina and Jagvi's past. 

 I really enjoyed the horror elements like a lot. I think that it was creepy and gross all at the same time. The descriptions of the monster were just amazingly done. I enjoyed watching the way that things unfolded in the horror dynamic because the possessions just became more intense. I also really loved the plot twist the authors threw into the story because I did not see it coming at all and it really just made the story so much more enjoyable for me. I wasn't a huge fan of the ending of the book because it didn't seem to fit the horror dynamic as much. However, this was definitely one of those books that I would end up recommending to a horror lover I think. 

“Sometimes it felt as though I was fated to spend my entire life waiting.”

So I enjoyed this one because it really wasn't what I anticipated. I have to be honest it's a very slow burn novel. The author creates this world and you quickly find yourself attached to Hazel. The book follows her life and centers around her birthdays as they have always been a pivotal thing given her status as a thirteenth child and the goddaughter of the god of death. Hazel's childhood honestly made me so sad and I couldn't wait for something good to happen to her. I have to say the book really has the gothic atmosphere down from the start and you know not to expect anything happy. I loved watching Hazel grow throughout the book she becomes this strong woman who knows exactly what she needs to do.
The story takes a bit before it feels like anything happens but then we start getting all these gut wrenching moments where Hazel is forced to face what feels like an impossible task. Hazel adores her godfather but she is constantly searching for love in return. I think the story really picked up when Hazel was brought to the palace to help the king recover from a plague. We start getting a bit of romance at this point, but honestly I didn't feel like the romance was a huge focus in the book even though it calls itself a romantasy. I honestly didn't get romance vibes until like the last six chapters are so and then it just felt out of place. I was more entranced by Hazel and the political schemes that seemed to be playing out in the story. Overall this was a beautiful book.

I'm terrible I waited so long to finish this part of KOC but the thing I adore about this series is... even if you forget something JJ manages to use a part of the story to catch you up on important plot points. I really enjoyed reading this one. Evie is probably one of my favorite female characters. In this one Evie really experiences some profund changes but also manages to stay herself. I love that this one gives us so much of the Evie and Jax romance... and so many spicy moments to go with it. Nothing like steamy moments and elemental magic to make things interesting. I will say that I felt like we hardly got anything about Jude and Lucas in this one and instead got a lot more of Jax's brothers and the found family dynamic that exists between them and Evie. I have to admit this one threw some stuff in at the end that decided to play with the emotions and I was not a fan... I didn't need the emotional trauma, but I loved it. So basically read this series... but hold out news has it JJ will be releasing the first 3 soon. 

 I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. I haven't read Meghan Quinn before this but it was an amazing surprise. I really loved all the humor that was throughout the book and the banter between Storee and Cole was everything I needed in life. The book has some serious moments but for the most part it just makes you laugh. I loved that they were enemies at first because of how it enhanced the banter and made the slow burn so much more enjoyable. I loved that we had a fake dating turned real dating but still fake dating dynamic going. It helped add to the layers of mayhem in the story. The Christmas competition the town holds which Cole and Storee are trying to win really added a whole extra layer of fun and chaos. 

 I have to admit that the spice took me by surprise. I did not see that level of spice for such a cutesy looking and feeling book. However, oh boy did it deliver. I could have done without the candy cane, but I mean at least it was festive. I honestly died at the number of times this book mentioned someones nips. It was so unexpected but each time made me die laughing. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed considering the pacing of the rest of the book and I also think it could have been a bit shorter but overall it was a fun and enjoyable Christmas read.

I loved the first book in this series but then the second one lost me a bit... However, I am so glad I didn't give up because this one delievered. Sunny might be my absolute favorite character in the entire group. She's so relatable and lovable. I loved the dynamic between her and Issac. Issac is very broody because he's convinced he can't enjoy life with his wife gone... but he finds himself enjoying Sunny and her presence. I think the book has amazing banter between the two of them. They have this fun dynamic that I enjoyed. I loved the different ways humor was thrown into the story because I'm not going to lie at times it got pretty deep and sad. Sunny is on the hunt for a local legend... a whole story in itself and one I'd be game to read... and Issac is on the hunt for a muse to finish his final album and when the two team up nothing seems impossible. I love Sunny and Issac and that romance and all the obstacles they have to overcome, but the real MVP of the Christmas Notch books is Teddy. I feel like in this one we got more of a focus on him which I loved he adds so much humor to the stories. I loved the way we brought all our favorite characters into this one. I think this one made up for all the spice that felt missing from the second one. It gave us a lot of interesting storylines while also giving the spicy moments that were absolutely needed. We also get the comic relief of the world's most demonic cat. I think this is for sure a must read for the holiday season. 

I decided to give this series another shot because I didn't absolutely dislike the 1st one. However, I think this one made it pretty clear to me that this isn't the series for me. I struggle sometimes with the author's writing style. I really had a hard time enjoying this one because for most of the story the age gap is between a 17 year old and an almost 30 year old so it just felt kind of ick. I think what made it worse was all the times we had to hear conversations about Mia between Jackson and his friends. I honestly spent a lot of time cringing in this one. It didn't get much better once Mia turned 18 for me to be honest. I really struggled with how we got a huge personality shift in Jackson the minute she becomes 18, and how suddenly we are supposed to accept this romance that just comes out of nowhere and feels completely rushed. I don't know I just really didn't find much to enjoy about the romance. The suspense part was interesting but also felt a bit rushed because of how little it was focused on. I think I just wanted more the whole time.

What did I read? I have no idea. I did love the beautiful illustrations though. 

I mean I don't even know where to start. I was on the fence with this one. I mean the summary intrigued me but I wasn't sure I wanted another series. I started this one and it didn't take long before I was hooked. It has a variety of characters and they all have such mysterious backstories. I love how the author gives us bits and pieces of their stories in such dramatic reveals. The chapters are short but the way most of them had me on the edge of my seat. It's a good thing I was alone while reading this one since I did a lot of out loud commentary. It's been a long time since I yelled at a book, but this one gave me so many beautiful reasons to do so. I've fallen in love with all of the characters and the different dynamics between them. I love the found family aspect with the band of misfits with some incredible skill sets. 

 I mean who doesn't love a good high stakes adventure that also may or may not have a touch of treason involved. The plotting, the high jinks, the sudden need to shift plans and all the things that can go oh so wrong and oh so right. I mean the book has it all not to mention it has romance, 3 to be exact. We get ex lovers, we get enemies to lovers and we get a bodyguard romance. I mean it's everything. We have characters with intense motivations to survive and to do whatever it takes. We have lives on the line. The secrets and lies that get uncovered and even the ones still to be uncovered. I just... I mean what can I say. It's perfect. It's exactly what I didn't know I needed. I'm hooked and I don't know that I can wait for the next one much longer. 

Wicked. Oh Wicked... I'm going to be 100% honest, I had no idea what I was getting into here. I absolutely adore the musical by extension now the movie. I've heard people talk about how different the book is and so I wanted to find out. The two are worlds apart and I honestly love that. The book is very not child friendly and had some moments (looking at you puppets.... and you tiger) that made me question why and what I was reading. However, I actually really enjoyed the story. I think the book does an amazing job of highlighting so many issues that impact a society. We get a look at politics, race, social class, religion, gender and a myriad of other things. The author does a fabulous job of showcasing these issues while presenting a story of a green girl who constantly has her intentions misjudged. 

 I am all about retellings and villain origin stories and I think this one is perfect because Elphie really has a good heart even if she's learned to hide herself behind sarcasm to survive in a world that judges her. She quickly picks up the plight of the disenfranchised in Oz and from then on everything just goes awry. I love that we get a different understanding of events from The Wizard of Oz that make you have to examine who the real villain actually is. I think that despite some of the weird and extreme and hidden behind a lot of wordy passages at times the book really has a deep message that can be applied to society today.