kassielovestoread's reviews
393 reviews

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. 

I was in a terrible week's long reading slump when I decided enough was enough. When in doubt, go for a romantsy. I had this book sitting in my kindle for a hot minute and on a whim, I decided to give it a chance. What an adventure this turned out to be!

The beginning of this novel was hard to get through, I won't lie. It's not that there was a lot of info dump necessarily, but I believe it was in part due to my reading slump and the way the plot and characters were introduced. Once Raven entered the trials, I was completely invested in this story! It was extremely captivating and immersive read. I haven't read a good witch-y book since the Vampire Diaries, LOL. 

Raven has such a strong moral compass, it was easy to believe that she would rather get taken advantage and abused from her competition than stand up for herself. I know now that deep down, Raven has the capacity to outpace any witch, regardless of status or age. And it was more of a strategic effort on her part to let the pettiness slide rather than show the full extent of her powers. Raven is so used to being undermined and scrutinized, I don't blame her for choosing her battles.

That ending though? Phew. What a whirlwind of emotions. I was on the edge of my seat wanting to know what would happen next and even then, I was not prepared when it was finally revealed. I just hope Raven knows that now is the time to show her enemies exactly who they've pissed off and enact proper revenge. I'm so excited to read book 2!! 

I finished watching season 3 part 1 and of course my only thought is, "how am I expected to wait another month for part two?!" I needed more, quick! And while I know the book differs greatly from the show, it would suffice to scratch that Bridgerton itch.

I'll always be the first to say the book is better than the tv/movie adaptation. In the rare case of the Bridgerton series, the show is unbeatable. The problem that I have with the books lies with the writing style. Why does it feel like every scene goes on for way too long? It was the same way with conversations. I felt myself skimming over some of the paragraphs in favor of hurrying it the hell up. This book has no business being nearly five hundred pages. I don't know if thats because of this edition specifically with all the bonus features, but it's unacceptable. And to be completely honest, I didn't finish the 2nd epilogue. Again, it was just too. damn. LONG!

While I love the cast of Bridgerton, the book characters are kind of dull. With the exception of Colin, who's just toxic. Colin was very much the antithesis of the Netflix character. What remained the same was the love of traveling, but everything else was borderline weird. Penelope is more or less the same in both book and show. And there's really nothing dull about her, it's just that she lacks substance in this book. The main difference in her character is that in the book, it's obvious she's a spinster because she's overweight and dresses ugly. Whereas in the show, it's all about how she presents and how awkward she is to eligible suitors. I found the later plot to be better digestible. 

It's without a doubt that Julia Quinn is not a good author, imho. I only tolerate these books because I have an unhealthy obsession with comparing the source material to the on screen adaptations, LOL. I'll continue to read the books as the Netflix show continues to release annually! 

PS. I really hope season 3 part two includes the lovely relationship between Penelope and Lady Danbury! Genuinely one of my favorite aspects of this novel! 

As far as the series is concerned, this probably will be my least favorite (so far). That's due to a few things, but above all, why does every MC written by this author happen to have a traumatic relationship with their families? And when those relationships are depicted, they feel so cartoon villain-y, it's laughable how borderline cringe the interactions are! Take Georgia and Sloane as an example. Georgia was like a cheap amalgamation of every mean girl bully ever written. It came across very unbelievable and it didn't translate well for me.

My second issue was with Xavier. Can love truly bloom in Sloane and Xavier's situation? Most contemporary romances are exaggerated and unbelievable and it's ok because it's entertaining. But I just could not get past his lack of passion/drive, severe familial trauma (but wouldn't seek the very necessary help he needed, would rather self destruct), and overall laziness. (I know that's the point of the book! I'm still entitled to how I feel though.) How can a woman like Sloane who was literally employed to babysit him ever see anything other than the many times she's had to come to his rescue. I would feel so annoyed at his incompetence! I do understand that the point was that he cleans up his act once they get together, I just do not see how love could prosper in that situation. 

I couldn't really connect with Sloane's character. Her whole thing was that she was a professional fixer to the rich and elite, but somehow couldn't fix her personal life? She would routinely remind the reader that she doesn't cry, was generally emotionless, and she was known to be an "ice queen"...etc. Not to be that person buuuuuuuuuuut, it's giving sociopath! I don't immediately recall if Sloane ever acknowledged the irony in her being a PR specialist and yet having a wreck of a life, if not she definitely should've. I thought her "aha" moment of clarity was rushed and could've been helped with her friends telling her to see a therapist ASAP. 

Overall, I didn't really like this story. I don't hate it either, I'm squarely in the middle. I wouldn't re-read, but I would for sure continue this series. The little we got of Vuk and Ayana was intriguing!! I liked the fact that so many of the prior characters from Ana's backlist made significant cameos in this book! It was a nice surprise, I hope she keeps them coming. 

I was in a terrible reading slump right in the middle of this book and not even this wonderful, heartbreaking story could get me out of it. It was all thanks to my stubbornness to finish that I managed to push through! I'll take another few days to shake it fully off before I pick up a new book. 

Anyway- Her Radiant Curse was everything I knew it was going to be. I wish I had picked it up closer to when I finished The Dragon's Promise, only so I could have the freshest memory available to me. Some things I retained, others I found I needed a refresher for it. So my advice is to read this book right after book 2 to get the absolute most out of this novel. Regardless, I feel like I got so much more context and cruel understanding from this novel. Channari, you are a QUEEN! I will never, ever forget this story. I cried so much reading while reading the ending. Of course, if you've read the first two books then you know how this one will end. It doesn't cease the tears just because you know what will happen, if anything the extra context made it much, much sadder. 

Elizabeth Lim has easily slid to being one of my favorite authors! This series has been one of my favorites to read in my life; I mean that with my whole heart, I'll forever recommend this gem of a series to everyone. The series was unputdownable, engaging and heartbreaking all at once. I really felt like I gleaned so much from it, it's impossible to put it all down into words! I'm so sad that this series has come to an end, but I look forward to anything else Elizabeth has for us in the (hopefully near) future!! 

I fear that this review will be a total mess for my final thoughts! I did like it, a lot actually, but I do have a lot to say about it.

Firstly, this is NOT a contemporary romance novel like many, MANY people have advertised it to be! It does feature a second chance romance, but it takes a backseat to the anguish and the suffering the MC's have endured/will endure throughout the story. The reader can expect to witness a lot of the day to day dynamics of Yasmen and Josiah as they also navigate their complicated, evolving feelings for each other. The romance eventually manifests, about 50-60% into the book. It's a lot of will they or won't they, I'd categorize this as one of the slower burns I've read this year.  I do believe a lot of the book could've been trimmed down, specifically within the first 100 pages or so. For a while I wasn't sure in which direction this book was going to take!

Back to the genre, this is women's fiction and if that's your jam: that's fine! And maybe this is more my fault for not double checking, but again, this was not the contemporary romance read that I wanted, LOL. Something I've come to understand is that I don't vibe with women's fiction. I often find that this genre features novels primarily dealing with heavy topics. Before I Let Go was definitely one of these books, and it was a journey to get through. Not sure if I'd willingly read something this heavy again. 

With all that being said: I did really enjoy this book. I'm ashamed to admit that it took me a bit of time to figure out that this was either the most unique rom-com I've ever read orrrrrr I possibly picked up the wrong book in a genre I don't love, LOL. When I figured that out, I adjusted my expectations and strapped in for the ride. I loved our MC's and I did enjoy reading about the complicated dynamics of their lives! I rooted for their love the entire time, I knew it was only a matter of time before they got their HEA's . I thought the epilogue was lovely and tied things up in a heart-warming way! 

Would I read the sequel? To be honest....I'm really not too sure. I'm super intrigued about Soledad's story , but can I really read a women's fiction book in earnest and not accidentally?? I don't know! I'm going to play it by ear. I can't commit to either a yes or no. However, I'm seriously interested in Kennedy Ryan as an author and I think I'm going to dive into her backlog to see if she has written any rom-coms in the past! If so, count me all the way in!! 

This was just OK for me. I wasn't attached to the characters or the plot, but I can see why others would enjoy it.  

Damn, the latter half of this series has been banger after banger! I loved this creepy, eerie tale of a recently widowed, single mother looking to earn her way for her and her daughter. She suddenly has the gift of Sight, which terrifies her to no end until she makes the ultimate deal to save herself. It was a brilliant novella!! I loved Maggie so much, I would've easily read this concept as a standard novel. The novella was just as impactful though. 

This is definitely an author I'll keep my eye on to read more from in the future! 

This novella was equal parts unique and terrifying! I loved it all the same though. The story took a few twists that I legitimately did not see coming. It was a very entertaining read and definitely my second favorite (so far) in this series! There were some aspects that I felt could've been explained better so I understood them the first time around, so I used a lot of context clues to pick up on the definitions/significance of the things. 

Ooooh, this book was definitely creepy! It achieved the ominous atmosphere in relatively quick time, I've never been that scared and relieved in such a short span of time while reading a book, LOL! I really enjoyed this novella, sans the tragic plot twist. I think this is another author I'll make time to read in the future because I really enjoyed this! 

This should've been a 5 star read, but I had a few lingering questions after finishing:

what was the relationship between the murderer and Emma? Was he her lover or was that a lie concocted to explain her disappearance? And does Maryse continue her work with her husband despite the real magic and dead that await?