crownedaimee's reviews
385 reviews

This duology deserves all the stars and more, the sequel didn't disappoint one bit. I will be recommending this to anyone and everyone. After the events of The Crimson Moth, there was no way I would've been able to wait until February to read The Rebel Witch so as soon as I saw it available on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to get it and I was so happy when I got approved for my most anticipated book of 2025 and didn't hesitate to read it as soon as I could. 

The Rebel Witch jumps right in as we see Rune and Gideon reunited for the first time since the events of The Crimson Moth. With the two at odds: one with orders to kill and the other siding with the enemy, they are soon forced to work together after a series of events unfold, and somehow try not to kill each other in the process. Their goal is simple: take down Cressida but can they really put aside their hatred aside? Can they really work together if they both have plans to betray the other? 

I really didn't want this to end (secretly hoping for spin offs) because I am so in love with this world and the magic system, and of course Gideon and Rune. They are enemies to lovers at it's finest and their relationship throughout this duology is so fun to read. The constant back and fourth of "will they/won't they" was so entertaining, nobody does it quite like them. The tension? The angst? The yearning and longing? Give it all to me. I need more. They banter had me grinning and swooning despite what was happening. 

I really felt for Rune in this book, after seeing her so brave and headstrong in The Crimson Moth to someone who is constantly burying her emotions because she is plagued with self doubt. Her decision making isn't always the best, but I loved seeing her growth. I would've liked to see have seen her learn more spells instead of relying on the three spells she knows and uses most. There were times that she could've done with having different spells at her disposal. If you follow me on Twitter/X then you just know my whole reading thread is just full of my love for Gideon Sharpe, that man can do no wrong. I loved reading him fighting between his heart and head, both wanting completely different things. I'm so glad that we got to see a different side to Gideon ion this book, showing how conflicted he was when it came to Rune and doing what he believed was the right thing. My heart broke for him after what happened in The Crimson Moth, it's really no surprise that he hates witches after everything he endured because of them. I was really rooting for his happy ending and I'm so glad that he got it. 

The Rebel Witch was everything that I needed and more. It was the perfect sequel and if you loved the first instalment then you'll love this one just as much. If I didn't have work then I would've devoured this book in a day because I was hooked from start to finish, I didn't want to put it down. This duology isn't one to miss, I highly recommend to everyone. 

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a honest review. 

Set in a world where magic is controlled by rival guilds, the Cloaks and the Daggers – the thieves and the assassins, The Dagger and the Flame follows 17-year-old Seraphine is on a mission to seek vengeance for her mother's murder when her path crosses with Ransom, heir to the Order of the Daggers, who has been tasked to kill her. 

Oh the enemies to lovers was so real with this one! Those who love with the enemies to lovers won with this book. Their scenes had be squealing and giggling like a little girl, one of the reasons why I enjoyed this book. Sera and Ransom are both unpredictable, reckless but also brave and that's what makes them entertaining to read about. You never know what you're going to expect next from them. The tension and banter between them didn't disappoint one bit. There were times that you didn't know whether they would kill each other or kiss each other. I can't wait to read the next book to see what happens next with them. 

The only thing that I didn't rate this book a full five stars was because the pacing a times was a bit off. Some parts were info dumping and didn't make much sense at the given time. I do think that perhaps this book would be better marketed as NA and not YA, the only thing that makes this book Young Adult is the characters being teenagers. 

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me to an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

My Vampire Plus One follows Amelia who is an accountant with a meddling family who is constantly asking about her love life and after a sarcastic remark about having a boyfriend too seriously, she has no choice but to now bring a date to her cousin's wedding despite not actually being in a relationship. Enter Reginald, a vampire fugitive and after the two bump each other one night, Amelia proposes a fake dating scheme to which Reggie agrees with his own interior motive. 

While I found My Roommate Is A Vampire enjoyable, this one I found is significantly a lot better. One of my main issues with the first book was that it would've worked better with a dual pov and this time the author listened and implemented it within this book. And let me tell you, it worked so much better. I loved Reginald in this first book, and this made me love even more so I was glad that we got his pov. And maybe it's because I love the faking dating trope too much but this is everything I love in a book, the humour, the slow burn, the forced proximity? Give it all to me. Amelia and Reggie balanced each other so well, I loved their relationship and I hope to see more of them and how their relationship grows in any upcoming books. 

The only issue that I had was that we could've learned more about Reggie's history a bit more, like he definitely knows who caused the fire and it has to be the witch, right? But that was only really my issue with this book. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series, like imagine a witch x vampire enemies to lovers book? I would be here for it, if there will even be another book in this series that is. So if you're needing a lighthearted romcom for the spooky season, this is the one for you. 

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Nothing Like The Movies is the sequel to Better Than The Movies, following Wes and Liz in their college years. They hadn't seen each other for two other after Wes went home after a tragedy struck in his family and not able to cope, Wes ended the relationship. Fast forward the two years and Wes is back as a freshman playing baseball and Liz is stuck covering the baseball team as part of her internship. What could possibly go wrong? 

This is literally everything that I wanted. At first I was a little scared of what was in store for Wes and Liz, like them breaking up after what happened in Better Than The Movies, I didn't want to believe it. However, their characters did grow so it might've been necessary? I loved having Wes' point of view in this book, I think this was something that definitely drove this story more and made it more interesting. I need a Wes Bennett in my life, like can he actually just be real?

I absolutely loved the tension and the angst between Wes and Liz within this book, it had be squealing so many times but as much as I loved it, I wish they had gotten back together a little sooner so we could have so many cute scenes as well. I felt like the ending of them was a little rushed which let it down a little for me. I would've maybe liked to see more of Liz and Joss' friendship, like I know Liz went to college and everything but surely they could've called as they were best friends. Either way, was this sequel needed? No. But did I enjoy reading it anyways? Yes. 

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Sapphic academic rivals with a murder mystery subplot... what's not to love? I think a lot of people will be eating this up. 

A Dark and Drowning Tide follows folklorist, Lorelei who is tasked to go on a expedition to find the Ursprung, which is said to give powers to those deemed worthy, with her mentor and some peers but to make matters worse, one of the peers is her her rival Sylvia. However nothing goes smooth sailing when Lorelei found her professor murdered one night and now she is on a mission to find the killer whilst trying to locate the Ursprung. And the only one that knows that Lorelei is innocent, is Sylvia. 

I absolutely loved Saft's writing, it's so lyrical and descriptive that you immediately get sucked in. While this book is described as a "sapphic fantasy romance" don't let it fool you, there's no actually that much romance in this book. However, the amount that we got delivered! It was literally everything, had me kicking and screaming. I couldn't get enough of these two like their constant bickering but yet Lorelei couldn't stop thinking about Sylvia, chefs kiss. Their grumpy and sunshine vibes fit together so well. 

I do wish that maybe we could've gotten a dual pov or perhaps a multi pov because I would've loved to know what Sylvia was thinking during some moments and I think it would've given us a better insight on some character's motives. I would've loved to have seen the murder mystery aspect a little more as well.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I really wanted to love this book because let's be honest, sapphic vampires? Sign me the hell up! And while I thought that I was going to enjoy it based off my initial reaction, the more I read, the more I was struggling to actually get through it. So I admitted defeat. The flow of the pace was all over the place and the three narratives made it hard to follow, I think it would've been much easier and better to only have the one narrative. Maybe I'll try again sometime in the near feature but with my reading slump, I don't think I'll be reaching for this anytime soon. 

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Vilest Things takes places right after the events of Immortal Longings, sending readers back into the world of San-Eir where our main characters Calla, Anton and August all battle for power. Probably will be an unpopular opinion, but I actually preferred the first book over the sequel, despite rating them both 3.5 stars. In saying this, I am intrigued to see how the third book plays out. 

Don't get me wrong, I love the characters which is something that Chloe Gong never fails on. Calla is by far my favourite character in this trilogy but I do wish that the characters had a little more of a character development. Additionally, I loved the tension between Calla and Anton in Immortal Longings but felt none of it in this book, instead feeling a little forced? I'm hoping in the next book they get their spark back. 

However, I felt like the story dragged a little, which could be due to the pacing and lack of action. It focuses more on politics which I think didn't help with how slow it made the book feel. There are some new powers involved but I didn't take all of it because it wasn't explained that well. The last 30% saved this book for me, where we finally got some action and the plot actually began to take off. 

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.