kassielovestoread's reviews
391 reviews

Whenever a book is this hyped I'm always apprehensive towards it because are you objectively good or subjectively good? I've heard enough great things to want to try this book out anyway, but the question was definitely valid to be asked! Regardless of my initial wariness, I'm here to say that One Dark Window was phenomenal! 

The beginning is super confusing in the best way possible. I was struggling to piece together the world and its politics and cast of characters and I had the best time doing it. The writing style is incredibly seductive- I wanted to know everything about anything the further I got into the story. And the magic system was truly unique. With all the fantasy books out there you'd think authors would've ran out of ways to concoct new magic systems by now, but this book exemplifies that unique magic systems are still out there just waiting to be discovered by reader and author. 

The plot was well executed and I understood perfectly how high the stakes were. I felt urgency on behalf of our characters too! Time was running out to unite the Cards and rid Blunder of the Mist, but there were a great many outside forces delaying our unlikely heroes from finishing their goal. It was interesting and engaging! The romance was good, it's nothing I hadn't read before so it wasn't pushing the needle. It was entertaining and I can't wait to see what happens in Book 2! 

With all the noise surrounding the theatrical release of Wicked, I decided to read the book before watching. I had seen the classic tale of The Wizard of Oz so I wanted to play the never-gets-old game of was the book better or the movie? I haven't seen the movie yet, so judging purely on the trailer and the few clips off of social media, I'd wager the movie was better.

This book gives personality, depth, and history to a notorious villain from one of the most beloved films of all time, Elphaba. Elphaba experiences all manners of cruelty from her peers, community, and even family from when she's a newborn all the way to her adult life. It's no surprise that she faces many hardships due to her green skin and this book definitely does not hold back. But she also experiences love, both platonically and romantically. For a moment or two, she has a trusted group of friends and experiences the joys that life can bring. This book provides clarity and context for the wicked witch of the west and for better or worse, at least it accomplished that!

However, this book was such a disappointment. I found the writing style difficult to keep up with; I do understand this book was written a while ago and I took that into account going into this. But I found that I sometimes could not understand the conversations between the characters, like if they mention a piece of history or something they're referencing unique to their culture. There was simply not enough context to gauge it! The world building was so clunky, it felt like information pertinent to the story and magic system were forced down my throat with very little regard as to how the reader could understand. 

I felt really let down by the ending.

It is the exact ending from the movie. I thought it was an underwhelming ending when I watched The Wizard of Oz and I had hoped the author would recreate a more fitting end for Elphaba than that. The way I see it, what's the point in giving Elphaba such a thorough examining of her life and the decisions she makes, only for the ending to be exactly as it was before: lackluster as hell. Did she deserve a happily ever after, riding off into the sunset with her true love and son? No, probably not. But the freak accident (for lack of a better term) was no better either. I was looking for something different, something more unique. I didn't find it in this book.

I hope I'm not the only one that feels that way! 

There were also a lot of loose ends from this book that I would've liked to see tie up. I know that was probably by design, more incentive for the reader to pick up the rest of series. I can say with complete certainty that I will not read the rest of the books. So I'll definitely read a spoiler for the rest of the books and move on with my life. I can't say I'd recommend anyone who loved Wicked to read this book either. It's vastly different from the movie/stage production and not in a good way. Hard pass! 

I surprisingly really enjoyed this book, which is a genuine shock because I was fully expecting this to be a 2-3 star read! I think what I enjoyed the most was the premise. Mirren is given an impossible task by her beloved dying great-aunt: find a cherished book from her childhood that no one but her has ever seen. While it's a task I would never undertake personally, I loved reading about Mirren's chaotic adventure into the most wondrous places in England and Scotland to find this treasure. 

I wasn't a fan of the romantic plot, to be honest. I found the banter between Theo and Mirren really cringey. I'm also not a fan of the whole "I have a secret I'm keeping from her" plot line and I just know that if this were a full length novel, that miscommunication would've been dragged on for hundreds of pages. I'm glad I was spared that in this novel! I appreciated that he understood sleeping with Mirren would've been a disgusting and deceitful thing to do considering the circumstances. The sole point in Theo's favor! 

The ending made me tear up a bit; it was a wonderful conclusion to the story. My ONLY gripe about said conclusion

is that I do not believe Mirren should've been allowed to keep the book. It was borrowed indefinitely (a nicer way of saying stolen) from the rightful owners, who are still alive by the way, and it should return to them! I think Mirren is no different from those awful booksellers if she keeps the book from June. It's clear that in her old age she can't be trusted to make decisions on her behalf, nevertheless giving away a priceless treasure such as that book. I would've liked to see that book returned to June so her daughters can decide what to do with it.

This was a good story! I think the concept of this was perfect for the page length. It was intriguing enough to hold my interest and the mystery was wrapped up nicely. I enjoyed it! 

A really strange moment happened in this book and in light of very recent events, I feel a particular way about it. At one point Elle makes an instagram post about the absurdity of rich people and includes a quote with the hashtag #eattherich. As a reader, I applauded it and agreed wholeheartedly! However Lucy was uncomfortable with it and immediately asked Elle to take the post down, which I couldn't help but laugh at. If it's one thing I hate is a bitch who sympathizes with the rich! I don't really care how friendly these particular rich friends of Lucy are, it's obvious Elle shares a sentiment similar to the working class and I think it's really distasteful to demand retraction simply because it makes you uncomfortable. I know that authors sometimes include themes that they may not necessarily agree with for the sake of entertainment but I can't conclusively say whether or not this author somehow thinks rich people, so long as they're friendly and come from "humble beginnings", don't deserve backlash for hoarding wealth. Regardless, that scene left a bad taste in my mouth and unfortunately soiled the overall reading experience. Not that the book was a literary masterpiece outside of that scene by any means, so it's really no loss to begin with. Can't say I'd be eager to reach for another book from this author and I definitely wouldn't recommend this short-story to anyone either. 

This was a short and sweet novella from the can't miss Tessa Bailey! If you're in the mood for a fast paced story about a giant farmer down real bad for the new single mother in town then you're in luck, this book is just that! 

This novella had a bit of everything: humor, heartache, joy, and the weird ways humans can annoy/love one another. I really enjoyed this novella! It was a wonderful little story; perfect for the holiday season. 

A 6/5 book! This concept was so wildly out there that of course only Olivie Blake could've conjured it and of course only she could execute! I loved this book; from page one and onwards I was hooked. I simultaneously wanted to consume the whole story in 3 hours and/or make it last until a week later. I found a middle-ground (in the throes of finals week, I might add) and as a result, I'll need at least three business days to recover from this gorgeous, wondrous book. 

Every detail in Masters of Death was so carefully planned, you can tell a lot of thought went into the characters, the lore, the magic system, and how it all connects. The writing style was hilarious as it was engaging; everything stated felt like I needed to dissect it two or three times to interpret its many meanings. Which is a good thing, by the way! I love it when my brain is churning and mulling over something as it may or may not relate to the overall plot. I think a lot of stories attempt the good natured life lesson that "life is worth living", but oftentimes feels a little juvenile in comparison to Masters of Death. What is a lifetime limit in the face of multiple immortals of varying creatures? What does it mean to mourn time as not enough when forever is at your disposal? I thought the questions poised was valid and to see the answers played out in the course of a 400ish page novel was truly something else. 

This is only my second book that I've read from this author; however, I can tell you right now that I'll be looking forward to reading more in the future! This story was especially unique and therefore completely unforgettable. Everyone should read this book!! 

Why was this book 600 pages?! There was no need for it. So much of the story dragged and quite frankly, the plot was so predictably mundane it absolutely could've been wrapped up in 300 pages (or less, to be honest). It's disappointing because I'm a huge Ana Huang fan but the last two books were such a miss for me. If the next book in this series has an equal (or God forbid longer) page count, I'm definitely skipping. Not sure I'll even bother at all considering Vincent will probably be the next mmc. The older, protective brother is such a tired ass trope, I'm officially sick of it. No reason is ever good enough, it ALWAYS comes off as super weird and annoying to read. As for Scarlett and Asher... I didn't feel a connection to them at all. I think by the time the book reveals the meat and bones of their backstories and arcs, I was completely checked out and as a result, didn't care much for them. 

Overall, not a great read. King of Envy has the potential to break the back-to-back flops, only time will tell. If that one also ends up being not great, then I think I'll need to take a veerrrryyyyy long hiatus from this author. It's possible I'm just burnt out from contemporary romances in general- after a while, they really do blend together. This book in particular brought nothing new to the genre or to me as a reader, just the same old mixed together. But it's also possible that the quality of these books has dipped. Again, time will tell! 

Our main character, Aila, is one anxious girl. She has severe social anxiety and a generalized anxiety disorder all into one. She's extremely passionate about animals, particularly the magical creatures entrusted in the care of the San Tamculo Zoo. Above all, Aila has a deep fascination and respect for the Samilio Phoenixes, an endangered species due to illegal poaching. Aila and I share a common thread there- I also love animals with all my heart. Both domestic and wild creatures hold a special place for me! That's premise alone was enough to draw my interest to this book. 

The book itself was good, but at times the slow pacing of the story was difficult to hold my interest. This is a very sloooow paced, character led plot. There is a romantic subplot with two different love interests, which was fine if a bit underdeveloped. The entire plot is Aila trying to be a functioning adult in a sociable profession while trying to save a dying species. No big deal or anything! Finishing this book was a tense affair. Of course I knew the "final showdown" (for lack of better term) was coming and I was trying to remain optimistic that the chicks would be safe. However the stakes were HIGH and I was genuinely scared! I didn't want to read about more animals dying to the greed of human beings :( Luckily that wasn't the case. 

Overall, a good book! It featured some diverse characters, in both sexual orientations, gender identity and races. If you can, splurge for the Illumicrate edition of this book which features some of the most stunning character art work in the end pages. The naked hardcover hosts a stunning image of the Similio Phoenixes as well! The digitally printed edges match beautifully to the vibrant colors of the cover. A stunning edition for anyone's bookshelf!