kassielovestoread's reviews
392 reviews

This book has a lot of elements similar to Gallant by V.E. Schwab and A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid. If you love sentient houses and the mysteries surrounding their inception, I would highly recommend Starling House. 

Opal was our main character and she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. She lied, cheated, and stole just about anything and from anyone she could so she could provide a life for herself and her brother. She was dealt a shit ton of crappy cards, some would think "damn, this seems personal- how can one person take so much?" Despite that, it's up to Opal to right the wrongs and forge a new path with unlikely allies and mysterious dark magic threatening her town. I think Opal was interesting to read through her perspectives. Many times I questioned her allegiances and decisions, but just because I wouldn't have gone about it the way she had doesn't mean I don't respect the choices she had to make. She was a very multilayered fmc! I thought long and hard about her circumstances, which for me makes for an excellent read. 

This was not a 5 star read for me; this book has its issues. I feel like pacing wise, it took a bit too long to get to the meat of the story. The beginning of the book kind of drags and I really had to push myself to get through it because I knew I'd enjoy the story overall. I also think this edition specifically could've chosen a bigger font size for the final copy! The words were so tiny, it was a bit difficult to read. I'd definitely suggest acquiring an e-book version of this book to read. All in all, I did enjoy the story. I was interested in the premise and seeing how Opal and Arthur would fix the curse that has plagued Eden for decades. 

This book was excellent. After the Forest is an enchanting read filled with witches, wolves, seemingly unbreakable curses and a great mystery tying it all together. And at the center of it all is one young woman with the power to either succumb to the darkness or save the world. The perfect book to add to your fall TBR if you so choose to! I got this edition in a Illumicrate box and I'm struggling not to smack myself for waiting this long to read it. 

It was so easy to lose myself in this standalone. The author does a fantastic job of immersing the reader with classic storybook-like writing style. Which was incredibly fitting given the inspiration behind this tale! I loved Greta as a FMC; she was steadfast in her resolves, even in the face of so much trauma, loneliness, and justified anger. She was filled with so much compassion and empathy despite all the wrongs done to her; you just can't help but root for someone with such a pure heart.

Greta's character arc was interesting to read, because you'd think initially she wouldn't be tempted by such dark and unstable magic. Her morals shifted and her allegiance was questioned more times than I could count. It was entertaining watching Greta test the boundaries of what she was willing to do. I respected it!

If I could change one thing however, it would be the pacing of this story or at the very least cut down on the page length. Overall I do believe every detail included in this book was worth reading, but I can imagine a ton of people who probably couldn't/wouldn't stick with the book due to the slow pacing or page count. I do think this book is one of those sleeper hits that requires you to stick with it in order to get a worthwhile conclusion. I get that it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea! It certainly was mine though. 

Man, what a journey. I admit that I did not read the blurb of this book before I started it; sometimes I just like to wander into a story completely blind. I definitely should've peeked at the trigger warnings beforehand, so definitely do that before diving into this book.

A Study in Drowning was a challenging read for me. In more ways than one, I unfortunately related to Effy's plights. At no point in her arc did I ever question her decisions or feelings because I've been exactly where she was. There's a specific part that I had to outline just so I could reference it in this review. Effy questions whether survival is all there is to her, to which Preston would say "You're not just one thing. Survival is something you do, not something you are." I'm not being dramatic when I say that is one of the most profound dialogues I've ever read in a book. Especially in the context of their discussion. It healed something in me that I thought was long past forgotten and buried. 

The trauma that Effy survived was something that infuriated me to the bone. School, at any level, is supposed to be a safe place to learn. I know as well as Effy that for many girls, it can be the total opposite. Effy was taken advantage by disgusting men in positions of high power. She was verbally accosted and harassed by her male peers, all because they were threatened by a woman in their college. It seemed all Effy could do was put her head down and endure. But endure to what extent? When will it finally be enough? When Effy reaches that point, she finds her voice and uses it to pave a brighter future for her life at university. It was inspiring and immensely gratifying to read Effy reclaim her power. I audibly cheered for her and cried for good measure! 

I gleaned a lot from this book and I think I'll carry this story, and Effy, with me for the rest of my life. 

Life got in the way while I was reading this book; hence why it took so long for me to get through it. Regardless, this was such a fantastic read!! I thought about this book all the time when I couldn't read- a telltale sign that you're reading a banger if there ever was one, LOL

This book was deeply cathartic. Imagine getting to kill your abuser with the help of a devoted demon to help you get away with it? Sign me the fuck upppppp, no more questions need to be asked! 

I definitely want to read more from this series! 

I really tried to power through;I thought the book would grow on me and maybe I was being too harsh. Unfortunately, the writing style was too juvenile for my liking. The plot was unbelievable and I naturally suspend my belief when it comes to all works of fiction but I just couldn't do it this time. 

Note to self: As tempting as it is (because I love free stuff), do not get the ebooks from the stuff your kindle events, LOL. They are always disappointing and a waste of time! 

If you want to read a novella about a 30 something year old woman who complains the entire time about her boyfriend ghosting her despite the very obvious red flags, this is the book for you. 

Cut and Thirst is a super quick read about a delightful cast of characters who want to enact revenge on the eight (or was it nine?) men who wronged their dear friend. I enjoyed it! I definitely would've read this had it been a full length novel. 

I think if your friends aren't willing to murder those who've been cruel to you, then are you even friends to begin with?? 

This was a cute short story! The title describes perfectly what happens in this novella, LOL. 

It was a lovely story but will probably be a forgettable tale for me. 

Wow. I feel so silly having just read this novel when it's been on my TBR since it published! This book was so good! What a refreshing read as well- I can honestly say nothing I've read in the past was anything like this book. There's so much to love about this story, I think I could recommend this to just about anyone and be confident that they would love it as well.

My favorite thing about this book might be a little niche, but here goes nothing. You know how in romance centered books the author has to come up with a nickname for the love interest? It's always on the nose and kind of overdone; if you've ever felt tired of that trend (for lack of a better word) then read this book. In short: this author comes up with the most hilarious play on nicknames for Mercy and Hart that are perfectly timed to their feelings toward each other. I won't spoil any of them, they're meant to be enjoyed as you read!! But just know no other author doing that trend will be able to out-do Megan Bannen on this one.

It actually surprised me as to how much depth there was to this book. Especially in Hart, whom I desperately wanted to hug. The man was going through it. It seemed like his loneliness and grief were everlasting and I found so much solace in his qualms. It's what makes the plot so fluid; him writing a letter hoping to reach a likeminded soul really spoke to me. I cried several times! As for Mercy, I felt so much catharsis in her POV's. She had to handle so much of her families expectations, opinions, and secrets and it truly felt like the weight of the world on her shoulders. She handled it with grace when I probably would've imploded from the stress alone! Even though the resolutions weren't always the best way to go about it, I admired it all nonetheless. It was deeply gratifying to read her draw boundaries and release her feelings freely. It also helps when you have an awesome family receptive to that, LOL. 

The romance in this novel was amazing! Hart and Mercy's connection was undeniable even when they disliked each other on page 1. I wouldn't call this an enemies to lovers though; more like dislike at first meet. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed their banter and love story. The one thing I will say is that perhaps the world building could've been introduced for better initial understanding. I could not, for the life of me, understand what the hell a drudge was until it dawned on me (embarrassingly to say, a little late into the book): zombies. I still have no idea what an auto duck is, I'm guessing a version of a truck?? And the talking animal mail carriers was both a delight and a source of major confusion as well. It could just be me or a world building issue. 
 
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is definitely one of my new favorites!! I gotta get my hands on book two ASAP! 

I can say for certain that I liked book one a lot more than book two. There are many reasons for this, above all I think this series could've been stronger had it this book been split into two rather than one. There was a lot of loose ends to tie up. How does an ending feel rushed and slow at the same time? I don't know how, but this book achieves just that.

The dreaded FMC losing her powers at the end happened, it made me roll my eyes. She does technically get it back, but only as a gift from the King in the form of a necklace. It was a kind gesture, I hate to take away from it. But I think it was such an unnecessary addition to the story. The point is that everyone loses something, I just don't understand why only she lost her powers and not the King as well.

Also! I hated this new "little witch" nickname everyone seemed to suddenly call Raven. Raven is undoubtedly the most powerful witch in the kingdom, why mock her with such a demeaning name? She's also grown as fuck; it's kind of weird to call her little. She might physically be little, but that has more to do with the life of starvation she's lived with rather than her natural physique. It was annoying thing I just had to mention. 

While this book specifically wasn't my favorite, I did enjoy the series overall. I think there's something for everyone: wlw, found family, enemies to lovers, deadly competition with incredibly high stakes, a really freaking cool magic system (especially the shifters and spirit blessed witches!), political strife amongst the covens, and a great cast of characters. Not sure if I will read the holiday novella or if I will read more from this author though.