taylorhathcock's reviews
460 reviews

I am just going to be completely upfront I still have absolutely no idea what this book was about. I think it was a super slow start and a lot of the start focused on details that didn't seem to have anything at all to do with the big story. I think we got more detail about the different rooms they had at the inn than we needed. The book is really centered on the way Elise feels inferior to her friends and the ways she lets this impact the dynamics between them. Once the story starts and the horror dynamic begins to creep in we start to get some supernatural elements which are super cool and at times make you question whether or not Elise is losing her mind. However, then we shift to the body horror... which is well written don't get me wrong... it succeeds in creeping you out. I just have learned that me and body horror do not get along. 

 I wanted to like this book but it was honestly really hard. None of the characters are likeable really. The plot is super slow and at times feels like it goes off in some random direction. I wish more build up had been given to the spooky side of things. I also wish what happened to Julie had been explained in a way that made a bit more sense. I also think Elise makes it hard to enjoy this book because she is like this super bitter character who doesn't even seem to like any of her friends. I don't know I just struggled to stay into this one. Overall, this one just wasn't it for me. I do think body horror fans will get a kick out of it though. 

I am a sucker for anything that has Norse mythology included in it somewhere. So I jumped at the chance to read this one even though shifter romances aren't typically my thing. I have to say that it was a bit rough around the edges at times. I think that so many characters got a bit confusing at times. I enjoyed that Ylva was pretty independent and sarcastic she made for a great lead. The four men she ends up tied to are all so drastically different that it's interesting to see the dynamics play out. However, I think that a lot of the dynamics between them felt a bit rushed and thrown into the story whereas other elements were super drawn out. I feel like it started out with an attention grabber and then we get a bunch of stuff that isn't really important to plot before we throw in some plot again that is helpful to the story but rushed... and yet I was left still curious so I will be reading book two. 

I started this book because I needed something light hearted and fun after some darker/emotional reads and this book delivered. It was whimsical and funny. I truly loved that Finn has held this grudge against Lavender since he was like 17 and she has absolutely no idea. The ways that things continuously and outrageously go wrong in this book are perfect. The snark is on point. The main characters are good but I'm telling you it's the side characters that make this book. They really add to the humor and fun of the story. I enjoyed that Finn slowly begins to realize through all his payback attempts that Lavender isn't who he's made her out to be... and possibly not his villain origin story. 

 I really think this is a perfect book when you just need a breather from all the other stuff. It's one where you don't necessarily have to get emotionally invested and you can just laugh at the outrageous high jinks that ensue. If you are a sucker for grand gestures this book can provide that. Who doesn't love a good grumpy/sunshine dynamic? Oh and did I mention the pets? I really think the book is made better by the fact that only one character is aware that they are enemies. It adds an entire level of comedy to all the actions the characters take throughout. I think the book really delivers on all the feel good vibes you could ask for in a rom com. I honestly look forward to reading more by this author after this. 

I can't believe it's over but I think this book was the perfect conclusion to Auren's story. I have to admit that I was hooked from beginning to end and had to force myself to put it down so that I didn't finish it too quickly. I mean this book is 100% the culmination of five books worth of build-up and something is happening on literally every single page. I don't think this book has a dull moment. It has a lot of action, a ton of moments you didn't see coming, shock, surprise and of course plenty of emotional damage to go around. I honestly loved it so much. The ways this book destroyed me were beautiful and I loved how it always gave me something I wasn't expecting. 

We have all the characters we love and see so much of the growth they've made throughout the series. I don't think anything is as beautiful as the found family the characters have. I enjoyed seeing Malina and Auren's journey and how each grew into something fierce. Malina is perhaps one of my favorite characters (I know people don't like her, but she is so like Auren I think). Auren really becomes this force of nature in this book and I cannot tell you how hard I was rooting for her. The book doesn't ever let up and at times you are like how is anything left... and then bam.... So buckle up and have the tissues on standby. 

This book. I cannot even begin to express the emotional ride this one took me on. It really had something happening from beginning to end that just leaves you shaken. It plays with all the emotions. I mean like all of them. It didn't feel like the book could stop throwing all these amazing twists and unexpected things at us. Even if it seemed like it was mostly to hurt us. I mean the way things are just dropped is mind-blowing... the fact that we have chapters that leave us hanging on the edge of our seat to know what happened while giving us more of another character... the reveals about our characters... and most definitely the ending... it's designed to make you an emotional wreck!!! 

We finally get to explore the fae lands... and I love the information we are getting. We learn a lot more about Auren and get some insight into what happened when she was taken to Orea all those years ago. Auren and Slade are both separated and focused on doing whatever it takes to get back to one another. However, it seems like the rest of the world has other plans. We start to see an Auren who is strong and capable of almost anything. She finally has her power mastered and she is so determined to thrive. I love her development in this one because she isn't afraid to speak her mind... like at all. Slade is most assuredly still in his villain era in this one and it is fascinating. Malina perhaps shines the most in this book I think. I loved her character arc. We of course have a lot of old characters who have monumental things happening and then some new players who I can't wait to see how they play into things. 

Where do I even start? The characters? They were absolutely phenomenal and engaging. Emilia perhaps more than anyone. Her story caused me to feel so many things all at once. I was outraged, laughed, was happy for her, was utterly gutted, and completely destroyed in the span of a book. She is perhaps one of the most real characters I've read in a long time. Melina... she was so like her ancestor in so many ways and caused me to feel a variety of emotions. However, you can tell that Jodi poured her heart and soul into Emilia's character and she is supposed to be the one who shines. The writing? Engrossing, enthralling, enchanting... everything you could ever hope for. The story? Full of so many layers and emotions it was hard to put down. The various ways that Jodi was able to showcase the struggles of being a woman in a male dominated world never cease to amaze. 

I cannot remember the last time I was so engaged in a character... I think knowing that Emilia Bassano was a real person only makes the story that much more. I love how much thought went into creating this life and motivations for a character who is almost completely silenced by history. I also love when books challenge the male dominated narrative. I mean we see some good evidence, presented by Melina, clearly from Jodi's research as to why Shakespeare wasn't the true author of his plays. I love when a book makes you think like this. I love challenging the narrative and giving voice to the women lost in history. I think maybe that's why this has quickly become one of my favorites that Jodi has written. I truly loved how much this book made me feel. It was one of those stories I could get easily lost in. I loved so much about this book. You can tell this was the story Jodi always wanted to tell. 

The more books I read by Riley Sager the more I fall in love with the writing style. Sager has the tendency to start the book off with a big traumatic moment and then jump into the present while giving tidbits of the past... until the moment when everything is brought into the open. I love it because with each new reveal you think you've figured out some crucial part of the mystery and then Sager throws another twist in and suddenly you have no idea. I really enjoy being kept on my toes like that. I have to say though of the ones that I have read so far... this book takes the cake. It was everything I could have wanted in a story. I really had to force myself to put it down at times. I kept thinking oh just one more chapter and then all of a sudden we have a new piece of the puzzle and I had to keep going. 

 I really loved this one because it's a return to a summer camp that closed down 15 years ago after some girls went missing. Our main character was friends with the missing girls and seems to have a lot of secrets surrounding what happened that summer. She also seems incredibly unreliable as the book goes on... and who doesn't love an unreliable narrator. The book has this element of mystery and uncovering secrets from 15 years ago with like minimal context, which I think makes it so much more intense. I love that it had the ability to make you suspect characters so easily because I mean they all seem suspicious to be fair. I think the ending on this one was phenomenal because it was a twist that I honestly did not see coming at all. 

I am a bit conflicted about this one. I really liked the premise it was a super cool idea and I couldn't wait to see how it played out. I had no knowledge of any of the historical stuff taking place (which actually was a bit of a hindrance) and some of the terms I didn't understand. I think the book struggled a bit to decide what genre it actually wanted to be and the letters between these two weren't the main focus like I assumed they would be. I really think it would have been so much better to build the romance/love story between these two... but the book just kind of has them smitten with one another and pining for each other almost out of nowhere and the romance just felt strange to me. 

 I spent a lot of the book either confused by events because the terminology and culture wasn't something I was familiar with or bogged down in extensive details that weren't really critical to the story. It was interesting to me that the bigger focus of each storyline had almost nothing to do with the dynamic between the two characters (other than to keep them from a relationship with someone else). I guess I just wished for something more romantic honestly. I have to admit that the big moment was predictable from the start which was kind of disappointing. Overall, I think it was a good story but it just was missing something critical for me to love it.