jrayereads's reviews
428 reviews

I really loved the first 50% of this book and thought it was an excellent continuation of the first, but while the ending wrapped up the political intrigue and action, I felt like there was a lot left unresolved with the characters and their relationships. So much of what I loved about the first book was how slowly things developed between Lara and the rest of the main cast. In this book we get introduced to Lara’s sisters (WHO I LOVED) and there is A LOT to be done as far as Lara redeeming herself to those she has betrayed. One of the main conflicts of this book is Aren’s journey to reconcile his feelings for Lara and how his people will respond to him forgiving a traitor. That is a really interesting conflict and I wanted to see some more long-lasting resolution with that. Honestly I think we just needed a couple chapters set a few months or a year after the action was resolved to get a more satisfying conclusion to both Lara’s sisters, Lara and Aren’s relationship, and also Lara’s relationship to the people from both of the kingdoms she loves.

I did really like the majority of this book and I loved these characters, I just think the focus on resolving all of the different bigger moving parts of the war and the different kingdoms overshadowed the character work that needed to be done to make everything more impactful. 

 Rating: 3 Stars

Format: Audiobook

Genre: Mystery, Romance, Christmas/Holiday

This was just okay, it served as a pretty entertaining read to listen to throughout my boring workday, which is what I was looking for. It’s a mystery romance but focuses a lot more on the romance. The mystery was mostly just a plot device to drive the main couple together and force them to reconcile from their “rival” status. I enjoyed the main couple a lot and some of the dialogue was genuinely funny. I found their relationship semi-believable but I think a bit more time to develop their relationship over the years would’ve helped make such a sudden turn in how they feel about each other feel more satisfying. 

I think the mystery felt underdeveloped not because there weren’t fun twists and engaging moments that kept me guessing, but mostly because I didn’t feel connected to any of the other characters/potential suspects. The reveal left me feeling like “oh okay I guess that's the explanation” because we didn’t spend enough time getting a sense for the other characters and their potential motivations for that suspense to build. I’m not a very seasoned mystery reader so maybe it was a me issue, but I didn’t get that satisfying feeling of trying to piece together the clues based on what information was slowly given to us. 

I think other people will vibe with this more than I did, so if the premise sounds interesting I think it’s worth trying. Also, I highly recommend the audiobook! The performances for the two main characters were excellent and made the whole reading experience very enjoyable.

 

A fascinating topic bogged down by repetitive writing and basic historical inaccuracies (which an excellent review from ArtNews goes into). The author has supposedly flubbed information before which is an unfortunate trait for a journalist to have. Knowing this made me a bit skeptical about how information was presented. 

I appreciated the time spent discussing other art thieves and how stealing art is often just a means to an end and contrasting those instances with Breitwieser’s supposedly genuine love of art. This had the potential for an interesting analysis if this section had been longer and more developed. There were brief mentions to book thieves at the very end of the book. It would have been nice to have gotten more information on that, especially since the author says that they are kindred spirits of Breitwieser’s in their motivation for stealing. It was a quick, mildly entertaining read, but I don’t think it does enough to make the initial concept feel fully fleshed out. 

 

Not me crying at my desk at work while finishing this audiobook????

I genuinely do not know what else you could want from a queer Christmas rom-com. This was funny, heartfelt, and a bit spicy, too. I’m usually looking for a certain level of cheesiness in my romance books as well, and this had the perfect amount.

This book had a wacky premise and even though things were rom-com levels of silly, the conflict still felt grounded and I was genuinely rooting for Ellie and Jack as a couple. The characters are reasonable and they act like ADULTS. It’s so satisfying to read a rom-com where the actions and motivations of the characters are so clear and make sense, even when the situation they’re in is so typical of a romance book. I adored Ellie as a protagonist. As a fellow anxious 25-year-old who has also been fired from multiple jobs, I found her extremely relatable and well-written. I also loved the demisexual and trans/non-binary rep in addition to having bisexual and lesbian main characters. 

Also, I know some people think it is cringe when romance books mention Taylor Swift, but I’m a parasocial sucker with a hyperfixation on the billionaire barbie so I loved it. Especially when it’s sapphics talking about the lyricism of evermore (typical).

ANYWAYS, this was beautiful and I’m already feeling the post-book hangover because it was so good. 

 SHUT UPPPPP. This was JUICY. If all romantasy was like this, I would be the biggest romantasy girl of all time. I completely adored this book and read the majority of it in one sitting.

This had the perfect balance of fantasy elements to romance elements for my tastes. The kingdom rivalries, scheming and plotting, action, and political intrigue were so engrossing. There was a TRUE slow burn romance between Lara and Aren and we actually get to see their relationship progress in a way that makes sense and had me rooting for them. And speaking of our main POVs, I just loved them so much. They both had such strong and clear motivations and I was so invested to see how things would play out, not just in their relationship, but also in how they would interact with the world around them. There were some pretty engaging twists and turns and even though I saw some of them coming, it was still really entertaining to see them play out. I wouldn’t say this is the most unique premise or overall story, but the execution was excellent so I didn’t mind the trope-y elements and plot points. 

Solid writing, solid pacing, and solid characterization. It really hit all the marks for me and I will absolutely be starting the second one ASAP. 

 

I could listen to Trevor Noah narrate his grocery list. His humor and storytelling ability are unmatched. Even in sections that dealt with very real and serious topics, Noah has this uncanny ability to make you feel the weight of apartheid and the confusing racial dynamics he grew up with while simultaneously being funny, informative, and empathetic. Apartheid and South African history is a blind spot for me, so I found the parts where he intertwined that history with his own experience very interesting and extremely well written. I’ve read quite a few memoirs this year, and this has to be among my favorites. It’s a must read. 

I think this just wasn’t for me, unfortunately. Full disclosure, I skimmed the last 10% or so because I wanted this to be OVER. Even though this book is short, there were moments that dragged and felt quite repetitive. 

I really liked the premise of this one and the writing was lyrical and beautiful, but the magic system and plot felt too muddled for me. I appreciated that Nadine was imperfect and sometimes unlikable due to her desperation to keep her daughter safe, but I didn’t feel like she grew from this and because of that Layala always felt like a plot device instead of a fully fleshed out character who had an arc throughout the story. 

I wanted more development of the world and the nature of the jinns’ magic. Just a bit too underbaked for me, but I think this author’s strong prose points to her having some real potential for future novels.

 

Finally!!!! A BOTM pick that didn’t flop! Though the description and cover make it seem like this book will be lighthearted, Margo’s Got Money Problems was surprisingly heartfelt and weighty. There are definitely some darker themes in this book so make sure to check out trigger warnings just in case. 

One thing I loved was the structure and narrative style. This book oscillates between 1st and 3rd person and, once I got used to it, this really worked for me. The characters are just so lovable and Margo is THE underdog you can’t help but root for. She isn’t perfect, but I adored her and just felt so proud of her throughout the book. It was filled with tense and grounded scenarios but it also had a sense of humor that balanced out the heavier themes. Margo’s narration walks the line between being quirky and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny without being too cheesy or annoying. If you like messy lit fic with satisfying character growth and a surprisingly tense plot that made me want to read the whole thing in one sitting, this is for you. 

As I usually do, I swapped between the audiobook and the physical book and really enjoyed both. I thought the audiobook narrator did a great job. 

 

I’m not really a thriller girlie but I had a good time with this one! Katrina and Cleo are both clever, strong-willed and likable characters. Anyone who’s been in a mother-daughter dynamic can empathize with them and the rifts in their relationship. That core relationship kept me engaged throughout the whole book.

I thought some of the dialogue was a little cheesy but that didn’t bother me too much. I think it might have helped develop Katrina’s character to get a bit more depth into her childhood and where she grew up, especially because that ends up impacting her a lot throughout the story. I didn’t feel as connected to that aspect of her character. I was invested in the mystery throughout but it didn’t really stick the landing for me, even though there were a couple surprising moments. 

Side note - I swapped between the audiobook and the physical book and enjoyed both formats so I would recommend either one.

 

Comparing your book to the Chronicles of Narnia, both in the text and in marketing, is quite the choice. 

I love portal fantasies and I think the concept and intention of this book was pretty solid. The premise was excellent and immediately drew me in. There was lots of mystery and intrigue and tension between the characters in the first half and I was excited to see where things would go. 

I think the magic of Narnia works so well because, even though the human characters that entered into it often became kings, queens, or other powerful creatures (like when Eustace becomes a dragon), the world was so much bigger than them and contained mysteries they didn’t fully understand. Aslan and his role wasn’t explicitly explained and it didn’t need to be. Because Jeremy remembers everything from Shanandoah, the world lacked mystery and tension. And because we’re just told things from their previous time in that world without ever getting to experience it with them, it was hard to feel connected to the characters that live in Shanandoah. Part of the magic of portal fantasies is getting to know the world alongside our characters, and I just didn’t feel like I got to do that.

There were lots of dialogue choices that didn’t do a great job of walking the line between the whimsy of the fairy tale world and the maturity of the characters. The world building was just too sparse with way too much telling and not enough showing. I occasionally liked the little interludes with the Storyteller, but they didn’t always work. Those sections were at their weakest when they lacked subtlety and just beat you over the head with The Point. There were explicit references to Aslan, but no original characters memorable enough to compare to him. The consistent mention of Narnia kept reminding me how much Shanandoah did not live up to its influence. All of these issues just kept getting worse throughout and it got more grating over time. 

Overall this was kind of meh to me. . . really solid first half but I struggled to stay invested once they actually made it to the magical world. Meg Shaffer’s writing just may not be for me, but if you liked her first book it could be worth checking out.