Another Two!

Listening to audio books while I do other things has really helped me catch up on my reading goals quicker.  I also find myself getting more done when I have the enjoyment of listening to a book while I do it!   Don't get me wrong, I'm still behind on my GoodReads goal for the year, but it doesn't seem as dire anymore.  I no longer think I may have to alter that goal.  I have every confidence that I can actually finish by the end of the year now!  The two books I'm reviewing today were both 5 star reads.  I have come to expect nothing less from the Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn and I'm getting impatient to watch the show at this point.  I haven't decided if I will watch now, or wait until I've finished all the books in the series first.  The other book was the 2nd book in the Cruel Prince series by Holly Black.  With how slow the first book started, I was a little worried that I wouldn't like this one, but it surpassed my expectations and I ended up loving it.  I found that this second book was more engaging from the beginning and there was so much going on that it was easy to get lost in it.   The following are my two reviews.

*****

The Wicked King by Holly Black

While the first book in this series started a bit slow for me, this book had me jumping right into the action.  Perhaps because I was already invested at this point, but I tend to think that the story went a little quicker as well.

Jude grows a lot over the course of the first book, but I found that she got even stronger during the second.  The tension between her and Cardan is palpable and I think the reader feels the back and forth and the indecision along with Jude.

There is much deceit, adventure and intrigue going on in this story.  And although it's a fairy book, there is a fair amount of politics at play.  I enjoy how many different pieces are all moving and how we don't even see what all is happening until it's done.  The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger and I'm eager to start on book three.  I have to admit to being completely shocked at the end, I didn't see it coming at all!

*****

An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn 

Each book in the Bridgerton series seems to be better than the last.  This story had a definite "Cinderella" feel to it, so if you like that type of story, this one is surely for you.  I've rarely hated a character as much as I hated Araminta in this book.  When writers get the readers to feel things on such a real and visceral level, it's quite an accomplishment and a true testament to their writing.

Sophie is such an immensely likeable character.  I found that her smile was infectious even though I was only seeing it in my mind.  I also was impressed with her ability to laugh and find joy in the most simple of things.  

One thing that really stuck out to me in this story was the importance of family, and how that's not always the family you're born with, sometimes it's the family you make.  While it can be hard to realize that your blood may not treat you well, it's nice to know that there are people out there who will treat you as deserved even if they are not blood.

Fans of the Bridgerton series are sure to love this book as much or even more than the previous two.  I'm getting really eager to watch the show now!

Two Reviews

I've finished two books this weekend.  One was on my Kindle (The New Girl) and one was an audiobook (The Viscount Who Loved Me) I was listening to on the Hoopla app.  I was very happy with the audiobook and less so with the Kindle book.   That's how it goes though, sometimes we pick up a book thinking we are going to love it and then it's just not our thing.  That's ok...I'm positive it will be someone else's thing.  One thing I refuse to do, is bash a book in the review.  I will simply state what I did and didn't like and maybe how I might have liked it better.  I'd be interested to see what you guys think of these two reviews.  One of a book I didn't like as much (3 star rating) and one of a book I loved (5 star rating.)  Let me know in the comments!

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The New Girl by Jillian Adams

I found this book to be a bit slow and it seemed to jump around quite a bit.  I was confused as to what was going on for much of the book and I almost thought it was going to turn out to be a bully romance at one point.  

That being said, I think there was definite promise here.  It could have been a much better story, if we'd seen a bit more of the situation with the main character's mother and how that had affected her prior to coming to the school.  I also think that the friends could have been explored a bit deeper than they were.  I am taking into consideration that this is book one in the series, and if I decide to read the rest, I'm hoping we get more background into some of these things.

The writing itself was very descriptive and I liked that, I just wished I'd seen a more clear sense of what the story was about.

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The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn 

I love that each of these books centers around a different Bridgerton sibling, but that we still get to see how the previous siblings are doing as well.  I love this kind of family series that allows us, as readers, to mature and grow along with the characters.  It makes the reader feel a part of this world, sort of an honorary Bridgerton.

Antony's story is the second in the series, and I found it quite a bit deeper than the first book in the series.  Covering phobias on both the male and female main characters, there was a lot of emotion and trauma to deal with.  I think the author did a very good job, and I really appreciated the afterword from the author about Antony's fear covered in the story.

Because it is far too often not the case, I also very much appreciated the positive light that surrounded stepmothers in this particular story.  The relationship between stepmother and stepdaughter was painted with caring and love and though she was called by her first name, she was quite obviously a very real mother to our main character.

I've still not seen any of the episodes of the new TV Show based on this series, so my reviews are only of my thoughts on the books.

Queer Royal Romance

Sometimes you read a book that was hyped up so much it ends up disappointing.  Sometimes it hits just as hard as you expect it to.  In this case, it was so much MORE than I was thinking it would be.  Now, don't get me wrong, I know some people thought it was overhyped and some did not like it...that's fine.  For me, it was H.O.T. hot and it was relevant to today's society and it was beautiful and thought provoking and just everything I needed to read.  This book touched me to the point where I'm absolutely certain my review will not do it justice.  Will definitely be watching this author in the future.  The following is my review.

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Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

 You know those books that make you feel all the feels?  The ones that make you want to rush through them, but also make you want them to never end?  That's this book!  I had heard on TikTok and other Social Media that it was worth the read, but that was an undersell!  This book has it all, from drama to romance, secrecy, politics and royalty and an extremely diverse cast of characters.

There were some legitimate laugh out loud moments and some moments that made me tear up.  I haven't felt the complete anxiety of an election since the actual 2020 election!  And the romance made me feel those butterflies of the teenage crush years.

The characters, in addition to being so diverse in ethnicity and sexuality, were well developed and very likeable.  I really enjoyed the growth of the characters, especially Alex.  There were a few characters to hate as well, but for the most part I really did like the characters.

One thing I was not expecting was the twist toward the end.  I feel like it brought to light some difficult situations and topics that need to be talked about more.  I would love a sequel or even an epilogue type story showing Richards get what's coming to him.

If you are a fan of NA Romance, Royalty romance, or any type of political drama story, I think you will enjoy this book.  I'd really love to see it made into a movie someday.

Jumping on the Band Wagon!

So many people have told me how much I would like this new Bridgerton show.  I don't doubt that I will enjoy it immensely, but I'm the kind of person who likes to read the books first before I watch a movie or TV Show adaptation.  Finally, I managed to get the first book in the series on Audio from my Libby app (there had been a 6 month waiting list.)  I listened to the whole book in less than a 24 hour period and suffice it to say that I enjoyed it!  I'm very much looking forward to watching the show, however I'm contemplating if I want to finish the book series first.  For those who don't know, each book covers a different sibling and there are 8 siblings in the family.  I have been told that the first season will not spoil the other books until the last episode, but I think I might at least wait until I've read the 2nd book, which I've already put a hold on in Libby.  (As well as the third, just in case!)  In the meantime, here is my review of book one!

 *****

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn 

While I was aware of the show before starting this series, and I fully admit to that being the reason for picking it up, I have not seen even one episode of the TV Show.  All of my thoughts on this book are without bias from the adaptation.  I would also like to add that I listened to this book on audio and I definitely feel that the narration having a British accent enhanced the experience for me.

The opening of the book hooked me right away.  There is a prologue that will pull at the heart strings and I can't imagine anyone not wanting to read more and see what happens to this poor child.  Once the main story started, I became even more invested.  I loved the Whistledown papers and how the story got told through the gossip rag.  I think it gave the book a bit of a soap opera feel and it definitely made me laugh out loud more than once.

In fact, there were many laugh out loud moments within the story, in addition to gasps and frustrated growls.  I love when a book causes me to have such physical reactions.  If you love a book that draws you in, keeps you interested and pulls those kinds of reactions from you, I recommend you give this series a shot.  I also think anyone who loves historical romance would enjoy this book.

The End of a Series

This book series really made me think about the injustices in our own history and even in our own current world.  It's sad that as a human race, we continue to judge people based on their differences rather than rejoicing in them.  How boring would the world be if we were all the same.  On that same note, I did notice as I posted my review that a lot of people did not like this conclusion.  I did.  That's ok, it would also be a very boring world if we all loved and hated the same things.  It's good that there is such a wide variety of people and passions.  That being said, the following is my review for the fourth book in the Red Queen series.

*****

War Storm by Victoria Aveyard

 I loved this series!  I'm still a bit curious at the ending.  There are still questions that I, personally, would like answered.  There's also a lot left up in the air about Mare's future, but that makes sense at her age.  Nothing is set in stone when you're 18.  

I think there is a lot to take away from this series in the way of racism and classism.  There are definite parallels that can be seen between judging a person based on the color of their blood or the color of their skin as we see in our own world.  I also saw some distinct parallels to the servant and slavery aspect of people with red blood versus people of color being slaves in our own history.

In certain characters, I saw messages of brainwashing and possibly nature vs. nurture.  Especially with Iris, it seems she never lets go of this idea that there are people who are beneath her.  I really disliked that character!  On the other hand, I loved seeing some growth in the character of Evangeline.  She seemed to truly mature throughout the course of the series and I loved seeing where this final book took her.

At the end, I feel like there are possibilities of where else this story could go.  The future of their continent, the possibilities of Mare and Cal, and whether or not they could get to a democracy of sorts.  I kind of like the open ended situation though, it leaves us, the readers, to come up with our own conclusions and predictions.

Review Writing

I am working on my review writing, and I would really love some input!  If you read my blog, please leave a comment telling me what you like or dislike about the review portion of my posts.  I'd like to get my reviews to the point where they are the kind authors would pull quotes from.  This means more writing of how the books make me feel and less of summaries.  The following is my review of the final book in Ruby Vincent's Evergreen Academy series.  I took some notes and wrote my review based on some feelings and observations I had while reading.

*****

Unmasked by Ruby Vincent

What an exciting conclusion to this series!  I don't think I could have possibly guessed who the Spades were and who was behind it all at that school.  I found that I really enjoyed the mystery aspect of the series and how the romance was actually secondary to that part of the story.

There seems to be a decent amount of lessons within the series.  I noticed messages about status and bullying and how they can sometimes be related.  There was also a lesson in standing up for not only yourself but others.  I love books that are fiction, but send a message to the reader, especially if there is a possibility of that reader being younger.  

I would classify this book as NA and I would recommend knowing what you're getting into before reading this book or series.  There are some tough themes covered including rape and teen pregnancy.  Obviously bullying as well, and there is some very harsh bullying going on throughout all four books.

I admire the strength and determination of the main character.  No matter how the other characters changed and grew and matured through the series, she was a constant from the beginning.  

If you enjoy Dark romance, bully romance and/or reverse harem romance, you'll enjoy this series. 

The Start of a Trilogy

 I was gifted the box set trilogy of The Cruel Prince by Holly Black and I finally have finished book one.  It's not my normal go to genre, but I have to admit that I do love reading fantasy and paranormal books.  I was not instantly sucked in, but when I did get sucked in I was engrossed!  The following is my review.

*****

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

While this book started off a bit slow for me, I'm glad I kept reading because once I truly got into the story I found it to be enchanting and engrossing!  I've read fairy books before, but none that truly encompassed the world of the fae quite so exclusively.  There were humans in the story, but they are the minority and I found that I loved having a story that was solely in the fairy realm.  

The characters in this book were very well written, they had depth and personality and a distinct voice.  And the world of Elfhame was described beautifully and horrifyingly at times.  Such descriptive language allows the reader to truly enter this world and live right along side the characters.

I usually consider myself to be the kind of reader who predicts what will happen at the end of the book with some accuracy, but the ending of this book totally shocked me.  So, if you like Fairies, being tantalized with a story you can't predict, and being fully immersed into a new fantasy world, you're going to love this book.