beforethepagesgetcold's reviews
131 reviews

A super fun and spectacularly whimsical holiday novella.

I read this directly after finishing finale, to help get im the Christmas spirit. It's certainly the most festive book I have ever read.

It was a fun and quick read. The illustrations are gorgeous 😍 

Easily one od my fave reads this year (Dec 2024). 
This series just kept getting better and better. The way the story unravelled and all came to light *chefs kiss*

I enjoyed every second of this. I wish I could read it again for the first time again immediately.

Do you love to read cosy fantasy? 

A driven mage. A brooding prince. And a second chance at love...or heartbreak.

If you love magic, fantasy, and cosy vibes, with a helping of romance and some spice, this is definitely a book you're going to want to add to your tbr. It is released on January 7th, 2025. 

What to expect:

✨ Fantasy Romance
✨ Magical University
✨ Science and Magic
✨ Family Politics
✨️ Banter
✨️ Light academia
✨️ Found family
✨️ Slow burn
✨ Cozy Read
✨️ Learning and growth.

I absolutely loved reading this, it is everything you could want in a cosy fantasy read. I love that the fmc is turning 30 in this book, and is an intelligent and capable woman. It was absolutely magical to see her rediscover what life means to her. This story also shows how the FMC not only falls in love with others but with herself, too. I loved how she how she learnt to trust her capabilities and intellect, itreally makes you connect with her further.  I also love how she shows such strength in breaking away from her families expectations and emotionally abusive situations. It shows her strength of character and her determination and makes her journey of self-discovery and improvement all the more gripping. It shows us all it is possible to be strong and carve out a life we want for ourselves.

I love the unique blend of science and magic. It isn't something often explored in fantasy settings, and I'm unsure why as it works SO well. In this story, it was absolutely expertly done. It blends in so well with the university setting, and the FMCs journey of growth, and the plot of discovering magical cures, and FMCs want to make a difference in the world. It literally all just ties in so nicely I can't compliment the author for that enough, it really does make it so immersive and feel so real. 

Please, please, if you do anything this new year, read this book! (Sorry it isn't the most stellar review, I'm currently sick and that used all my brain cells for the day 😅)

A huge thanks to @thenerdfam for the eArc of this fantastic book.

🪞The mirrored trilogy🪞 

The other side of the mirror was @danaevyn's debut nocel, and the first book in the mirrored trilogy. Here, I will also be reviewing book two, the mirror and the mountain. These reviews will be SPOILER FREE.

So, let me get started by saying if you love fantasy worlds, strong lead characters, intricate magic systems, and political maneuvering, paired with fantastic lore and world building, topped off with a romantic subplot... these books are for you. 

These books are absolute romantasy gold.

I love the authors writing style, and i love the characters. I do feel at times things move quite quickly, but it just keeps you turning the pages! I couldn't get enough of the characters, their stories, the world. I'm absolutely miserable waiting for book three, I need it so bad 😫 

I love the blend of shadow magic, light magic and portal magic. The mirrors being portals is a fairly unique take, and it gave some Alice in wonderland vibes, which is a win in my book as it is one of my all-time faves.  I really look forward to reading more about the world in the next book, as I'm really loving learning more and more about the human and fae realms in this series.

The found family elements in these books are second to none. They are perfection. I don't say that lightly, and as I'm sure you all know by now, it is one of my absolute favourite tropes. I love all the characters and how to learn to care for each other, love each other (romantically and otherwise), their banter, and how they all have something to add to the story, are their own characters and have a unique voice. I love that as the series progresses, we get more povs and see more of the other characters. I'm so excited for book three, and can't wait to read it. 

These books are so action packed and addictive. Easily a new fave series i will recommend, always. 

Some of my fave elements (expect this and so so much more):
✨ Fated mates
✨ Fae
✨ Elemental magic
✨ Celestial magic
✨ Hidden identity
✨ Found family
✨ Dreamwalking
✨ Strong FMC
✨ Training scenes
✨️ Witty banter
✨ Multiple POV 
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AD|PROMO
#fantasybooklover #fantasyreader #fantasybooks #romantsy #bookaesthetic 

🪞The mirrored trilogy🪞 

The other side of the mirror was @danaevyn's debut novel, and the first book in the mirrored trilogy. Here, I will also be reviewing book two, the mirror and the mountain. These reviews will be SPOILER FREE.

So, let me get started by saying if you love fantasy worlds, strong lead characters, intricate magic systems, and political maneuvering, paired with fantastic lore and world building, topped off with a romantic subplot... these books are for you. 

These books are absolute romantasy gold.

I love the authors writing style, and i love the characters. I do feel at times things move quite quickly, but it just keeps you turning the pages! I couldn't get enough of the characters, their stories, the world. I'm absolutely miserable waiting for book three, I need it so bad 😫 

I love the blend of shadow magic, light magic and portal magic. The mirrors being portals is a fairly unique take, and it gave some Alice in wonderland vibes, which is a win in my book as it is one of my all-time faves.  I really look forward to reading more about the world in the next book, as I'm really loving learning more and more about the human and fae realms in this series.

The found family elements in these books are second to none. They are perfection. I don't say that lightly, and as I'm sure you all know by now, it is one of my absolute favourite tropes. I love all the characters and how to learn to care for each other, love each other (romantically and otherwise), their banter, and how they all have something to add to the story, are their own characters and have a unique voice. I love that as the series progresses, we get more povs and see more of the other characters. I'm so excited for book three, and can't wait to read it. 

These books are so action packed and addictive. Easily a new fave series i will recommend, always. 

Some of my fave elements (expect this and so so much more):
✨ Fated mates
✨ Fae
✨ Elemental magic
✨ Celestial magic
✨ Hidden identity
✨ Found family
✨ Dreamwalking
✨ Strong FMC
✨ Training scenes
✨️ Witty banter
✨ Multiple POV 
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AD|PROMO
#fantasybooklover #fantasyreader #fantasybooks #romantsy #bookaesthetic 

I cannot stress enough how much i loved this. The authors writing is brilliant, the characters are loveable (mostly, I'm peeved at someone in particular right now), the world feels so real, and the magic system is interesting. 

The world building is so utterly seemless, you don't even realise it is happening. The world is so well thought out, explained, and ingrained into the story, it feels real. Lore is scattered throughout, and I lov   that, it made the story so easy to get in to and follow. 

The characters also feel extremely real, as do the struggles the  face. The clear divide between magic and none magic folk, a world on the verge of all out war, a resistance and a crown that think they're doing the right thing, and people muddling by trying to make a life in the chaos. It, while being a magical land, feels so relatable at times. The characters emotions are always so raw and full, you can't help but to feel them along with them.

There's twists and turns aplenty, and characters you'll just love from the off. I just know I will be thinking about this book for a long time and I'm absolutely dying to continue the story. 

This audio,  oh my god. 

The option isn't available to revie  on so I will pop it here. The narrators made that such a joy to listen to, and so engaging. I lov  that it was dual narration and the story was great! The narrators really brought the charachters to life

I really just  need to make more people read this now so I have someone to speak with about this omg omg. I love the political intrigue so so much, and how the story unravel  as you read more and more and understand the world more. I loved it.

Some bits were hard to read though, so, please do read the TWs. 

Five stars is not enough for this book. My mind is wholly consumed by it, constantly, and I fear I may never recover (in the best way).

I've heard this be so hyped I was scared to read as I was worried it wouldn't live up to the hype. It, in fact, is well worth the hype and then some. It is absolutely fantastic and brilliant and oh my god just read this book!! 

The lore we are drip fed is brilliant. The characters dynamics are great, and I love that there's some comedic relief. I love the way the lore and world building unravel. I love the characters relationships to each other. I love the main and side characters. I jus  LOVE this book. 
I finished the whole book in around 16 hours and I immediately wana reread, it's easily one of my favourite reads of the year. Of all time, even.  It's definitely firmly on my top ten. It is fantastic. I will not shut up about it for the foreseeable. 

Idk what else to say without spoilers but uh, yeah. I think you get it by now... read the book. Join us. You'll get the hype after the first chapter, I promise.

A very interesting concept and lore of the world. I love how it expanded more and more as the plot progressed. 
The characters were loveable, and while I really enjoyed this, I just didn't find it the moat memorable. I feel this is on me because I kept getting a bit distracted because I was never fully gripped as things moved slowly. But once they got going I was much more invested. But even so, not wholly. 

Again I think this is a me thing as it was otherwise enjoyable. I would still recommend it!  I'll try reading again a other time to give this series a fair chance 

Absolutely loved this!!! The twists and turns were fantastic as usual. The lore and story unravelling was brilliant. Thst ending though!?!?! I need to read the next book IMMEDIATELY