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discardeddustjacket's reviews
315 reviews
The Shadow Glass by Josh Winning
Did not finish book. Stopped at 47%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 47%.
It’s not that this book is bad at ALL. The vibes were there for sure; I think anyone who enjoys movies like Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, or The Neverending Story would love this book.
But I just got out of a reading slump and I don’t want to launch right back into one by forcing myself to push through a book I’m not enjoying anymore. The pacing just started to lag too much for my liking. I lost interest.
But I just got out of a reading slump and I don’t want to launch right back into one by forcing myself to push through a book I’m not enjoying anymore. The pacing just started to lag too much for my liking. I lost interest.
Death's Obsession by Avina St. Graves
Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.
Listen, I took a chance on a KU suggestion by an author I’d never heard of and figured “even if it’s bad, I can push through 175 pages.” I was wrong. I couldn’t do it. Even with low expectations, I was too put off by the writing. Nonsensical sentences, cringey dialogue, plot holes, I just… I’m sorry. No hate to this author or anyone who loved this, but it’s not for me.
A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Ugh this was so good.
One of the most effective elements of this story is the way that it handles the relationship between Dracula and his—partners? lovers? children (ew)?— because I feel like it’s such a good depiction of the cycle of abuse.
Dracula isn’t always cruel. He’s often charming, doting, tender, and sometimes I found myself genuinely wishing for his redemption. I wanted to make excuses for him, the same as Constanta did. As much as I wanted Constanta to escape Dracula, I also empathized with her genuine heartbreak over having to destroy him to do it.
Also, without spoilers, I’ll just say: the epilogue was the perfect way to end this story. I finished the book with the biggest smile on my face. Such an emotional read!
One of the most effective elements of this story is the way that it handles the relationship between Dracula and his—partners? lovers? children (ew)?— because I feel like it’s such a good depiction of the cycle of abuse.
Dracula isn’t always cruel. He’s often charming, doting, tender, and sometimes I found myself genuinely wishing for his redemption. I wanted to make excuses for him, the same as Constanta did. As much as I wanted Constanta to escape Dracula, I also empathized with her genuine heartbreak over having to destroy him to do it.
Also, without spoilers, I’ll just say: the epilogue was the perfect way to end this story. I finished the book with the biggest smile on my face. Such an emotional read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Physical abuse and Alcohol
Cosmic Kiss by Clio Evans
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This was such a blast to read. You know those books where it feels like a lil treat—like candy? That’s how this book felt. Relatively tame, low-stakes plot; tons of smut; just an all-around good time. Had me gigglin’ and kickin’ my feet.
Inextricably Tied by Aveda Vice
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I went into this figuring it’d be a steamy little monster romance, maybe with some dark themes and an interesting, mysterious plot, but I wasn’t expecting to CRY SO MUCH. (Aveda, darling, you will be hearing from my lawyers; I’m suing for emotional damages.)
I love these precious, broken characters. They are each endearing in their own ways, (Agony especially). I’m gonna be honest, the crime-solving part of the plot kind of took a back seat in my mind; all I cared about was the romance and all of its angsty sexual tension, lol.
Pick this one up if you’re into the idea of a throuple involving a shape-shifting mass of shadows that can, ahem, accommodate a variety of needs. 😉
I love these precious, broken characters. They are each endearing in their own ways, (Agony especially). I’m gonna be honest, the crime-solving part of the plot kind of took a back seat in my mind; all I cared about was the romance and all of its angsty sexual tension, lol.
Pick this one up if you’re into the idea of a throuple involving a shape-shifting mass of shadows that can, ahem, accommodate a variety of needs. 😉
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death and Kidnapping
Minor: Suicide, Torture, and Vomit
Wolf, Willow, Witch by Freydís Moon
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I’m a huge Freydís Moon fan and have loved pretty much everything else they’ve ever written, but this wasn’t my favorite! Heart Haunt Havoc was my introduction to their books and it blew me away, so I was really surprised that this one was a miss for me.
I think my biggest issue was I just found the characters underwhelming. There were a lot of things that I didn’t think got enough explanation, mainly who they are, why they’re doing what they’re doing, etc. (In the case of Lincoln, I acknowledge that a lot of his introduction and backstory happened in the previous book, but I feel like a bit of a refresher would’ve been useful.)It’s true that we learn about Tehlor’s history with dance and her guilt and whatnot, but I still found myself wondering “but like, why the Viking gods? Who IS she? Why did she resurrect Lincoln? Why is she chasing after this artifact? Just for power? Why is she so dedicated to pursuing power?”
But I also felt like the romance was oddly-paced. The shift from hate to devotion progressed awkwardly and somewhat suddenly, which gave the romance a lack of believability. I’m ok with fast-burn! It’s just I think there still has to be a fluid progression, whereas here it felt choppy. I just remember thinking at one point “Oh! Ok they like love each other now. Alright. When did that happen? Did I miss it?”
Overall it wasn’t bad, by any means, but it left me feeling just kind of “meh.”
I think my biggest issue was I just found the characters underwhelming. There were a lot of things that I didn’t think got enough explanation, mainly who they are, why they’re doing what they’re doing, etc. (In the case of Lincoln, I acknowledge that a lot of his introduction and backstory happened in the previous book, but I feel like a bit of a refresher would’ve been useful.)
But I also felt like the romance was oddly-paced. The shift from hate to devotion progressed awkwardly and somewhat suddenly, which gave the romance a lack of believability. I’m ok with fast-burn! It’s just I think there still has to be a fluid progression, whereas here it felt choppy. I just remember thinking at one point “Oh! Ok they like love each other now. Alright. When did that happen? Did I miss it?”
Overall it wasn’t bad, by any means, but it left me feeling just kind of “meh.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement
The Roommate Risk by Talia Hibbert
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I will never stop saying it: men written by Talia Hibbert are superior. And to be honest, among them, I think Rahul might be my new all-time favorite (and that’s saying something)! The emotional maturity, the kind-heartedness, the overall gentle disposition (that becomes absolutely filthy in the bedroom)? We’re talking green flag after green flag, my friends.
A lot of times, the friends-to-lovers trope is a miss for me, simply because the conflict never seems believable. I just think to myself “ugh, if you’re in love, just get together already, why all the angst? It needn’t be this difficult!” But with this one, I feel like I really did empathize with Jasmine’s reluctance to see what was right in front of her (and then to sabotage it when it could no longer be ignored). I appreciated her character development a lot.
As is always the case, Hibbert’s writing is accessible and enjoyable, I would recommend this to anyone and everyone.
A lot of times, the friends-to-lovers trope is a miss for me, simply because the conflict never seems believable. I just think to myself “ugh, if you’re in love, just get together already, why all the angst? It needn’t be this difficult!” But with this one, I feel like I really did empathize with Jasmine’s reluctance to see what was right in front of her (and then to sabotage it when it could no longer be ignored). I appreciated her character development a lot.
As is always the case, Hibbert’s writing is accessible and enjoyable, I would recommend this to anyone and everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I wanted to like this book, and for a while there I really did, but once the “twist” came into clear focus, I was disappointed and uncomfortable.
There are notable distinctions between this story’s depiction of a secret society performing ritual sacrifice of young people to gain social/political power, and the historically antisemitic blood libel tropes used by conspiracy theorists like QAnon (which include pedophilia and cannibalism)… but still too much similarity for my comfort.
As soon as I realized that’s the direction the story was taking, it took me out of it completely and I couldn’t enjoy it anymore.
As soon as I realized that’s the direction the story was taking, it took me out of it completely and I couldn’t enjoy it anymore.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
The Viridian Priestess by Katrina Calandra
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I would recommend this to anyone who wants a “brain-off” sort of predictable but nonetheless enjoyable romantasy book. My overall impression was: “ok, sure. fine.”
I picked it up on a whim for the MMC in a helmet (because who didn’t watch the Mandalorian and go “oh.. is this… doing something for me?”), but was underwhelmed by the story.
The world itself didn’t get fleshed out enough for me to really understand why the characters were doing what they’re doing—the commander especially. (Why is HE there? What is his job? Who does he command? Who does he answer to? What are his motivations?)
And then when it came to Ferren’s “green light” gift, the descriptions were so vague, I couldn’t get a real sense of what was supposed to be happening. I suppose the lack of clarity is sort of clumsily dealt with every time Ferren herself just shrugs and essentially goes “I don’t know how it works either,” which was disappointing.
All in all, it kept my attention, but there wasn’t much about the story that made it truly memorable. The helmeted MMC was the only real draw, and he wasn’t even given the depth he deserved.
I picked it up on a whim for the MMC in a helmet (because who didn’t watch the Mandalorian and go “oh.. is this… doing something for me?”), but was underwhelmed by the story.
The world itself didn’t get fleshed out enough for me to really understand why the characters were doing what they’re doing—the commander especially. (Why is HE there? What is his job? Who does he command? Who does he answer to? What are his motivations?)
All in all, it kept my attention, but there wasn’t much about the story that made it truly memorable. The helmeted MMC was the only real draw, and he wasn’t even given the depth he deserved.