February Reading Wrap-Up

Rule #3: Don’t stare at invisible faeries.

Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty—especially if they learn of her Sight—and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.

Rule #2: Don’t speak to invisible faeries.

Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.

Rule #1: Don’t ever attract their attention.

But it’s too late. Keenan is the Summer King who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost—regardless of her plans or desires.

Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom, her best friend Seth, her life—everything.

Wicked Lovely is the superior faerie novel and everyone can fight me on it (I kid – but not really?)

It’s a bit challenging to write a review after you’ve read an entire series multiple times over the years. All I want to say is: WHY IS THIS SERIES NEVER TALKED ABOUT? IT’S SO FREAKING GOOD. PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF AWESOME FAERIE STORIES, READ THIS!

But I digress. Wicked Lovely doesn’t have the prettiest cover of all time. It’s not filled with enemies-to-lovers tropes or intense smut. But it does have excellent character development and the world-building is there from the get-go. It has the gritty side of fae that we don’t often see. It’s dark and raw and resentful. There’s angst, drama, and some seriously swoon-worthy characters (my forever book boyfriend is from this series).

This first book will suck you into a faerie world you never knew you needed. You’ll want to dive into the rest of the series the moment you finish the first book – and you’ll be so glad you did once you read them all.

Take a chance on something new (or I guess old??) and read Wicked Lovely. You can thank me later.

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Snow White’s stepmother wanted to get rid of the beautiful stepdaughter who was challenging her title of ‘most beautiful’ – by any means necessary. Was Snow White poisoned? What happens to the poisoned, and the poisoner?

Jennifer Donnelly turns her feminist eye to this most delicious of fairy tales and shows Snow White as she’s never been seen before.

Prior to reading Poisoned, I had noticed a few reviewers stating that it didn’t quite live up to Stepsister. I tried to not let that get into my head as I began my read, because I absolutely loved Stepsister and desperately wanted this to be just as excellent.

Unfortunately, I found that the other reviewers were correct. Had I read this prior to reading Stepsister I may have looked at it differently, as it was a really creative retelling of Snow White and it definitely held my attention from beginning to end. However, there was an intellectual aspect missing. I found Sophie to be really dimwitted, which was unexpected. As someone who was hell-bent on saving herself, she really didn’t think things through and was incredibly gullible to those attempting to hurt her throughout the story. I wanted to reach into the pages and shake her!

What I enjoyed more than anything wasn’t the romance or even the feminist tone set by Donnelly – it was the supporting cast of characters. I will continue to sit here and stew in my desire to have a separate book just about Queen Adelaide and the King of Crows. I was more intrigued by the dark backstory than I even was with Sophie’s tale.

I enjoyed the narration of the audiobook a lot. It was easy and fun to listen to.

[CW: death, frightening sequences, disease, random “suicide” towards the end*]

*This surprised me because it seemed like it came out of nowhere but it wasn’t expounded upon and it was very fantastical. I don’t think this would be triggering due to the way it was written.

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Hope warms the coldest night.

Feyre, Rhys, and their close-knit circle of friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly-changed world beyond. But Winter Solstice is finally near, and with it, a hard-earned reprieve.

Yet even the festive atmosphere can’t keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, she finds that those dearest to her have more wounds than she anticipated–scars that will have far-reaching impact on the future of their Court.

Unlike the previous books, this one had multiple POVs and aside from Feyre’s chapters, all the others were written in third-person, which confused and frustrated me instantly.

This book was really boring? Like, my best description of what happened was: it was Christmas and then Feysand had excruciatingly (and unnecessarily) graphic sex. Oh, and Nesta is still a bitch.

Speaking of Nesta: What is her deal? Excuse me, but Feyre was dealt a horrible hand as well and she didn’t treat everyone with insane disrespect. I mean, truthfully, Elain had all the more reason to be awful and she’s still made of sugar, so there is literally NO reason for Nesta to be as horrible as she is. She’s emotionally and verbally abusive and it’s uncalled for.

I was feeling pretty optimistic after both ACOMAF and ACOWAR, but this book just gave me zero desire to read ACOSF. I mostly enjoyed reading about Feyre painting again and being able to express her emotions through her art. I also liked the way they took care of the Rainbow.

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Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

Going into this sequel, I had low expectations. Not because I thought it would be terrible, but because I wanted to be extra pleased if it was extraordinary. I was really happy with the fact that it didn’t have “middle book syndrome” in the slightest.

This story picks up immediately where the first left off, which made it easy to get into. There’s very little lag on the world-building in this trilogy and I sincerely appreciate that. I want to be immersed and fully aware of my surroundings when reading a book like this. Bardugo does an excellent job of being detailed without explaining too much so that you’re surprised when you need to be but also not confused about what’s happening or why.

My friend described these characters as nesting dolls and I can understand why. They’re little onions, with lots of layers and each time you think you’ve gotten them figured out, they show a new side to themselves that has you intrigued and wanting more.

I hate Mal. Maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but I don’t really care. I hated him in the first book and I hate him even more now. He’s manipulative, whiny, and childish. He makes Alina feel bad for things outside of her control and doesn’t treat her as any kind of equal – suddenly interested in her when she came into power. Some might think The Darkling is the toxic one, but at least he displays his toxicity on his sleeve. Mal hides it beneath a “soft” exterior. Bleh.

This story didn’t lack anything, in my opinion. I’m just looking forward to the finale book even more now!

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Through blood and sacrifice, Amora Montara has conquered a rebellion and taken her rightful place as queen of Visidia. Now, with the islands in turmoil and the people questioning her authority, Amora cannot allow anyone to see her weaknesses.

No one can know about the curse in her bloodline. No one can know that she’s lost her magic. No one can know the truth about the boy who holds the missing half of her soul.

To save herself and Visidia, Amora embarks on a desperate quest for a mythical artifact that could fix everything―but it comes at a terrible cost. As she tries to balance her loyalty to her people, her crew, and the desires of her heart, Amora will soon discover that the power to rule might destroy her.

When it comes to duologies, I like finality. If you introduce too many new characters or storylines at the beginning of the sequel then I’m going to expect a third book at some point. It’s inevitable.

All that being said, All the Tides of Fate was written PERFECTLY. It had been a while since I read the first book, yet the moment the story began, I was swept up in it and it took little effort to recall the events of the previous book. The characters were just as adventurous and badass as I remembered them. There was romance (but not too much) and a fantastic character arc for Amora.

Without giving any spoilers, I’m going to just say that from the last chapter through the epilogue I was definitely tearing up. I certainly wasn’t expecting to feel those kinds of emotions, but it was beautifully-written and the sacrifice made my heart swell.

This is certainly in the top 3 of my favorite duologies now!

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The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.

A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.

But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.

Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.

There are two ways of thinking when you’re about to embark on a reading journey for a book that’s incredibly hyped and has severely split reviews. You either go into it with zero expectations and let it disappoint/wow you as you read or you make an assumption that you’ll love/hate it and feel excitement/dissatisfaction with the outcome. When I picked up These Violent Delights, I had very few expectations. The only one was that it would be a 1920’s Shanghai Romeo and Juliet retelling since that’s literally the description of the book.

What happened as I read can only be described as a rollercoaster of emotions and observations. My initial reaction was that the story itself was pretty boring. It was really wordy and included a lot of political content that felt unnecessary to the plot. I had heard that it took a while for some people to get into this book, so I remained mostly optimistic that I would thoroughly enjoy the second half.

If the relationship between Roma and Juliette is described as enemies-to-lovers then I’ve had the wrong definition of that trope for ages, because it felt like ALL enemies and NO lovers. The most love they expressed was a drunken feeling-up sesh and reminiscing on a time when they used to love one another in the past. I don’t even like the enemies-to-lovers trope, but I was hoping for something more than what was provided. In fact, as a whole, I just didn’t care for either main character. Juliette was really disrespectful, self-absorbed, and performative. Roma was like grey mush.

THAT BEING SAID, the secondary characters were where this book shined! I looked forward to Kathleen’s POV more than anyone else. She was quick-witted, loving, loyal, and determined – and I wish the whole book could have been about her… with a few chapters reserved for Marshall and Benedikt! Their relationship was so entertaining and I’m hopeful for further development in the sequel – actually, I’m pretty much assuming there will HAVE to be further development in the sequel due to the ending of the book.

Speaking of the ending of the book: excuse me, but what?was?that? I’ll tell you what it was: it was predictable in every sense of the word. There wasn’t a single moment where I felt surprised or excited by what happened. Mostly because people literally told Juliette what was happening for the entire story? And she ignored it. And practically all the work they’d done to create a solution was undone in one letter.

OH OH, and the insects had me squirming the entire time. My husband can attest to the fact that I literally sat in bed, scratching my scalp as I read because I felt so unsettled. But I think that was the point, so this is actually a positive note!

I have high hopes for the sequel. Maybe it’ll be fast-paced with excellent character arcs and fewer political themes. I really, really want that to be the case. I do plan to read it because I enjoyed this story enough to want to find out what happens next. The traitor in the Scarlets needs to be revealed, Ben and Mars need to admit their feelings, and Tyler needs to get out. I only wish this one had been a little more GRIPPING, overall.

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Nothing much happens in the sleepy town of Shy in Avon-upon-Kynt. And for eighteen years, Emmaline Watkins has feared that her future held just that: nothing.

But when the head of the most admired fashion house in the country opens her prestigious design competition to girls from outside the stylish capital city, Emmy’s dreams seem closer than they ever have before.

As the first “country girl” to compete, Emmy knows she’ll encounter extra hurdles on her way to the top. But as she navigates the twisted world of high fashion she starts to wonder: will she be able to tailor herself to fit into this dark, corrupted race? And at what cost?

“Don’t judge people by the way they dress. There can be angels in rags and demons in silk.”

Once upon a time, fashion was my world. I spent years trend-watching, looking forward to any occasion that allowed me to dress up and show off a new outfit, and my dream was to attend a fashion university. When life took a different direction, I found a new dream and spent close to five years as a full-time fashion blogger. It allowed me to creatively express myself through my style and I adored every minute of it. Fashion is super personal and while I no longer blog solely about fashion, I still adore clothing and find such fascination in anything style-related.

Reading this story was like coming home. I haven’t been immersed in the fashion world for so long, but this book gave me the opportunity to indulge in something I love. There were moments where I just had to pause my reading because the imagery of Emmy’s sketches was so enticing and I wanted to sit there and bask in how gorgeous those ensembles would be in real life! If you enjoy vivid descriptions, you will adore this book!

In addition to the phenomenal fashion aspect of the story, I really appreciated the character development. There were times when I suspected that someone had certain intentions – and I was pleasantly surprised when what would seem like a predictable plot direction wasn’t what played out. I really enjoyed learning more about the secondary characters, in addition to Emmy (who was, by the way, a pretty likable protagonist, which is a rarity), and I think that their backstories were really well-written. It made me feel more connected to everyone in the story and not just the main characters.

I absolutely think there should be a sequel. There are a handful of moments that could be expounded upon in a second book and (without giving too much away), I’m dying to see what happens with the fashion house and with these wonderful characters.

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Sophy Dunbarron–the illegitimate daughter of a king who never was–has always felt like an impostor. Separated from her birth mother, raised by parents mourning the loss of their true daughter, and unacknowledged by her father, Sophy desires only a place and a family to call her own. But fate has other ideas. Caught up in Elanna Valtai’s revolution, Sophy has become the reigning monarch of a once-divided country–a role she has been groomed her whole life to fill.

But as she quickly discovers, wearing a crown is quite a different thing from keeping a crown. With an influx of magic-bearing refugees pouring across the border, resources already thinned by war are stretched to the breaking point. Half the nobility in her court want her deposed, and the other half question her every decision. And every third person seems to be spontaneously manifesting magical powers.

When Elanna is captured and taken to Paladis, Sophy’s last ally seems to have vanished. Now it is up to her alone to navigate a political maze that becomes more complex and thorny by the day. And worse, Sophy is hiding a huge secret–one that could destroy her tenuous hold on the crown forever.

Well, wasn’t that trilogy all wrapped up in a nice, neat bow?

When I began reading The Waking Land, I was unaware that the sequel and finale books were told from alternative points of view. I had hoped that we would follow Elanna throughout her entire journey as the Caveader, but the author had other plans. I tried to “be okay” with that when The Memory of Fire was narrated by Johann, but I never really liked Sophy all that much, so when this book began, I was already in a bit of a negative mindset.

I found that this story was lacking while simultaneously having way too much detail. It was a long book (the audiobook was over 11 hours and that was on 2.2x speed) and like The Memory of Fire, it just seemed like there was so much information about the politics of the world and I even had a tough time keeping the characters straight.

One of the things I noticed throughout the entire series was that the author really enjoyed the rollercoaster that is: “that character just died so everyone is going to be really sad but it’s okay because the dead character isn’t really dead and they’re going to come back again” trope. I counted at least 3 uses of that in this book alone, but even more throughout the trilogy and I felt like it was majorly overused. I stopped even feeling emotional about someone dying because I knew they weren’t actually going to stay dead – and sometimes… sometimes it’s good to not have a perfectly happy ending?

I have a few other things I didn’t care for about this book, but those are just the primary things. I really, really wanted to love the series as a whole, because I enjoyed the first book so thoroughly the first time I read it (and even the second) and worked so hard to remember it again so I could continue through this story. It just fell a bit flat after the first novel, which is a huge bummer.

Overall series rating: 3 stars.

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The Unhoneymooners meets The Hating Game in this witty, clever, and swoonworthy novel following a workaholic marketing manager who is forced to go on a cruise with her arch-nemesis when they’re up for the same promotion.

Between taking night classes for her MBA and her demanding day job at a cruise line, marketing manager Henley Evans barely has time for herself, let alone family, friends, or dating. But when she’s shortlisted for the promotion of her dreams, all her sacrifices finally seem worth it.

The only problem? Graeme Crawford-Collins, the remote social media manager and the bane of her existence, is also up for the position. Although they’ve never met in person, their epic email battles are the stuff of office legend.

Their boss tasks each of them with drafting a proposal on how to boost bookings in the Galápagos—best proposal wins the promotion. There’s just one catch: they have to go on a company cruise to the Galápagos Islands…together. But when the two meet on the ship, Henley is shocked to discover that the real Graeme is nothing like she imagined. As they explore the Islands together, she soon finds the line between loathing and liking thinner than a postcard.

With her career dreams in her sights and a growing attraction to the competition, Henley begins questioning her life choices. Because what’s the point of working all the time if you never actually live?

Perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Sally Thorne, Shipped is a fresh and engaging rom-com that celebrates the power of second chances and the magic of new beginnings.

Unpopular bookworm opinion time: I don’t care for enemies-to-lovers. I think that it can often be portrayed as really toxic and it glorifies some seriously problematic relationships. HOWEVER, Shipped did an amazing job navigating an enemies-to-“insta”-lovers trope and I totally enjoyed it!

I was expecting a really lighthearted story that had elements of The Unhoneymooners and The Hating Game and that’s pretty much exactly what I got. The protagonist was only a year older than me, so it was nice to feel like I could relate somewhat to where she was in life. I really enjoyed the office dynamic (though I didn’t love the way she frequently dissed Social Media Coordinators – as that’s my job and it actually IS a ton of work…) and despite the fact that I hate summer or tropical excursions, it somehow made me want to go on a cruise!

I would really like a spin-off for Walsh, since she seemed like a really great, independent character that had a lot of depth. I related to her struggle with an abusive ex and wanted to dive a little deeper into how she overcame that and was able to take charge of her life.

The characters, the setting, the awesome story development – it all tied together to create a really great book!

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In Compound Eleven, the hierarchy of the floors is everything.

My name is Eve Hamilton, and on my floor, we fight.

Which at least is better than the bottom floor, where they toil away in misery. Only the top floor has any ease in this harsh world; they rule from their gilded offices.

Because four generations ago, Earth was rendered uninhabitable—the sun too hot, the land too barren. Those who remained were forced underground. While not a perfect life down here, I’ve learned to survive as a fighter.

Except my latest match is different. Instead of someone from the circuit, my opponent is a mysterious boy from the top floor. And the look in his eyes tells me he’s different…maybe even kind.

Right before he kicks my ass.

Still, there’s something about him—something that says he could be my salvation…or my undoing. Because I’m no longer content to just survive in Eleven. Today, I’m ready to fight for more than my next meal: I’m fighting for my freedom. And this boy may just be the edge I’ve been waiting on.

It was incredibly kind of Entangled Publishing to send a copy of Escaping Eleven to me. I was not asked to write a review in exchange for the book, but I wanted to anyway!

It’s been literal years since I’ve read a good dystopian novel, so I was really looking forward to diving into this story. It started off super strong and launched into the action almost immediately, introducing us to all the main characters and giving us a great taste of what was to come.

This has all of the great elements of a dystopian: a corrupt government/leadership system, characters that have been battered and bruised (physically and emotionally), and a determination to make things better for themselves in the future. I felt a strange disconnect from the MC, Eve, mostly because her emotions were very shut off from everyone else, but her inner monologue was a rollercoaster. It was tough to distinguish whether I felt bad for her or if I absolutely hated her. My biggest issue was with how she wanted to take advantage of everyone around her in order to GET OUT of Compound Eleven. Her friends are so supportive and loving and Wren was trying so hard to be unlike the stereotype he was associated with.

There was a LOT of fighting (not just for sport), sexual assault, self-harm, and abuse throughout this book, which was really triggering. I had a tough time getting past certain scenes because you weren’t eased into the situation – you’re just reading and then BAM something horrible is happening. It got really uncomfortable at times.

I was left on the edge of my seat at the end, which was a good feeling. As much as the story itself was challenging to read because of the content, I’m truly curious about what comes next. I really want a love triangle (hate me all you want) and for there to be something really unexpected in the sequel!

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