I don't have much to say about this book. It was a freebie through Amazon and I was glad to have read it! You can feel just how passionate the author is about Cuba through this short story. This novella is all about new beginnings and rekindling with the one who got away many years later. An overall good book!
I'll admit, I had my reservations about starting this book. The sting of Zephyrus's betrayal from The North Wind was fresh in my mind in the months between finishing that book and starting this one. I didn't know if I could actively root for Zephyrus as a main character. What if I didn't sympathize with his plight? What if I can't forget (or at least ignore) the horrendous things he's done in favor of whatever blossoming love will appear? If you also shared those same grievances, I understand your hesitation! But go into the book with an open mind nonetheless, because Zephyrus' character arc is so damn satisfying and heartwarming. He shows genuine remorse and wished to change to be a better man. You know I ate it up!
Brielle is the only POV we get (aside from the beautiful, tear jerker epilogue) in this novel and to be honest, her perspective is the only one we need. Brielle is, at first meeting, a meek woman who experiences bullying by her peers and is mostly friendless. She wants one thing out of her solitary life as a Daughter of Thornbook: to be worthy enough to rise to acolyte status. Not going to lie, it was frustrating reading about Brielle succumbing to the abuse from her supposed "equals"- I often wondered, when will she stand up for herself and demand better?! But it was through her adventures to acquire Meirlach with the insufferable Harper and charming Zephyrus that she really grows into her skin. She is forced to reckon with what she knows of her sheltered life versus what the world can offer her. Brielle starts asking after what she wants out life, not what God or Mother Mabel would prefer. I loved reading about her expanding faith with God, it was so relatable in so many ways! Her character arc was also equally satisfying to read about. She was such a multifaceted character, I miss her already! I hope she and Zephyrus appears in the future books.
There was so much more added context given in The West Wind that helped me understand book one even better. I appreciated that the author took the time to interweave certain details to help smooth out the transition between books 1 and 2! That definitely did not go unnoticed. I loved especially the lyrical prose that made me felt in the moment just as Brielle and Zephyrus was. Like I said, this series has been hit after hit so far and I just cannot wait until the next two books are in my hands!!
PS: This edition is from Once Upon a Book Club and not only is it a gorgeous book, it comes with four gifts to open as you read the novel. The gifts were amazing pieces that relate to the story and are beautiful treasures I will keep for as long as I can! It's a bit of a splurge in terms of pricing, but it was so worth it.
I literally just finished this book and as I'm typing this review, I keep wiping tears from my eyes, looooool. It's funny but while I can't imagine ever getting married or wanting to have kids, reading about fictional characters in a connected series doing the big weddings and having tons of babies and getting the overall picturesque happily ever afters will turn me into a sobbing wreck. Gets me every damn time! The ending and the epilogue was just so sweet and made for a very beautiful ending to this series.
I'm so glad this book was as good as it was, especially because of how much I disliked Things We Hide From the Light. This story featured a damn good enemies to lovers plot, which is rare for a contemporary romance. But the beef between Sloane and Lucian made sense for how much they hated each other. And when the reader gets the full story, the emotional impact will definitely cut deep. I loved the banter (even if it was a little excessive sometimes) and the spice was like the cherry on top to a very good book.
Was this a perfect, 5 star read? Nah, it has its issues that prevent that. For one, I think the author could've went without the leftover loose ends from book two to take up a lot of book three's plot. The continuation of the Anthony Hugo plot distracted from Things We Left Behind's strengths, which, for me, were the romance and character development of Sloane and Lucian. Secondly, I encountered some pacing issues and I felt the story was stunted in some places in favor of a lot of repeating elements. For example, did we really need 10 different scenes with the main characters feuding the exact same way? Remember, this is book 3 in a connected series. The foundation of the characters disdain for each other has already been set; I don't feel like it was totally necessary to spend another 51% of this book reiterating that point.
Anywho, I enjoyed this book overall! I think I would like to continue reading more from this author in the future, but I'm going to strictly do that if her book is a 400 page novel MAXIMUM!
This book was really good! The cover really sold me on reading this but there were also so many unique and interesting aspects to this novel. For example, the magic was so cool! I personally love when magic systems have an intricate tie to religion. Colin and Bishop's magics were different in how they channeled it and where it origins from, but together they make an unstoppable pair. I also loved the romance between Colin and Bishop. It was brief and of course a little rushed, but I loved it all the same.
While I did enjoy this book, I found that it was missing that something to make it a five star read for me. Definitely not the length, because I felt this book was the perfect page count. I think maybe the pacing and the tone of the novel could've been faster, if that makes any sense at all. I'm super interested in reading more from this series (and from this author!). Although I am NOT entirely sold on the fact that one of the mc's in the next book is abusive ass Lincoln?? We'll see...
Ugh, I hated this book so much. Which sucks because I liked Tis the Season for Revenge, but this book was a dumpster fire!
Let's start off with the fact that this plot is far too juvenile for an adult rom-com. I'm sitting there reading this like...."really? what kind of grown ass woman has to deal with 20 year olds being mean to her?" I know it's just a book, but still. Major ick. It's probably my fault, because I didn't really read the blurb, just bought it and downloaded on my kindle because I was genuinely so excited to read this author's recently released novel. Won't make that same mistake again!
Secondly, I don't know if this was intentional or perhaps an oversight from the author buuuut, something about an all white mean girl clique picking on (what seemed like, at least) the only black girl working at this beach club screamed racism to me. I was deeply uncomfortable that Cami was being targeted by these privileged white girls and while she does get the last laugh at the end, it was still deeply uncomfortable to read.
With that being said, I will not be reading any more books by this author as this book was just a 100%
I knew from the first few chapters of reading this book that this was going to be a 5 star read for me. The prose was evocative; I was transported to this unnamed Latin American country with Isabel Allende's lyrical writing style and thought provoking cast of characters. This is a story I will never, ever forget! This author has a bunch of books on her backlist and I will make it my mission to read them all.
I needed a day or two in between reading because this novel is just so utterly heartbreaking at times. Other times, it featured tender moments that is, in summary, what a well lived life consists of. The reader quite literally follows Violeta from her birth to her death in this unputdownable book. You become so attached to this character and all of her mistakes and triumphs- it's what makes Violeta's character arc so fucking satisfying to read. The author did a masterful job!!
I would ABSOLUTELY recommend this to all. In fact, this is officially required reading!
This book is pure angst and it is done SO well that I felt like I would die if the MC's didn't just shut up and get together already!! Damn, is there any trope Talia Hibbert can't write??
The Roommate Risk was tooooo good. I loved Jasmine and Rahul so much! Their story was genuinely captivating and I was invested in their respective character arcs. I think the level of detail and care that went into developing these arcs was obvious and therefore added so much depth and vulnerability to the story. Jasmine and Rahul aren't together simply because of one stupid reason or another. And when those reasons are revealed to the reader, it raises the stakes even higher for their love. Like I said before, this book is all angst and longing buuuut, it is so damn satisfying. Get into this book asapppp!
A pet peeve: I wish the cover would accurately depict Rahul! Rahul is described as having BROWN skin and CURLY hair. And not for nothing that man on the cover looks white and his hair looks straight! So what gives??
If you love high fantasy, especially standalones, then this is a book that you definitely want to get into! Especially if you've read An Ember in the Ashes quartet and The Daevabad Trilogy and you're looking for a more in depth djinn centered story. I loved every single aspect of this thrilling novel! I look forward to reading more from this author in the near future!
The cast of characters were perhaps my favorite part. Fatma, Hadia, and Siti were an unforgettable trio. I loved their characteristics, their banter, the wittiness that each character dished out and matched subsequently. And how delightful is it that a male author can write not one, not two, but THREE well rounded female characters aaaaand a beautiful sapphic relationship?! (Sorry if it's offensive that I'm genuinely surprised, but I stand by it!)
I also loved the exploration of different themes throughout the novel: colorism, sexism, and classism to name a few. While Cairo, Egypt may seem like they're the shining beacon of progressiveness with djinn and mortals existing in harmony- the society is far from perfect. The author does a top job at exemplifying the many cracks in this perceived flawless society. It's what makes the conflict surrounding Al-Jahiz so damn good!
I liked this book a lot! It was definitely not perfect, but I think if you were looking to read more Latine books then this one would be a great start (Look up trigger warnings beforehand, of course). This is a standalone, dark fantasy romance that features a lyrical writing style and an emotional character arc.
I think what I took issue with this book the most was that some of the things the characters (specifically Xochi and Sal) would say was absolutely absurd and cringe. Completely out of left field too, LOL! Like whyyyyy are we publicly proclaiming to the enemies how you guys fuck each other?? I understand it's basically like bragging, but I don't know, I really didn't care for it and I often found myself needing to put the book down for a few minutes. I also do not think this book needs to be nearly six hundred pages long! A lot of the extra detail and unnecessary plot points could've been left out in favor of answering the questions that went largely unanswered: What about Xochi's dad, her siblings, and her grandparents? Will she attempt to find them and learn more about her lost heritage?
Life definitely got in the way for me and made me take a much longer time with this book than I normally would have. It was still an enjoyable read!
This book is not as polished as a traditionally published novel would be- there are definitely some areas of this novel that I think needs work. Some of the dialogue between characters were stunted and I think an editor could've made some of the scene changes flow better. But, I loved the characters so much! This is definitely a character driven story and features plenty of spice and emotional conversations about recovery, sexuality, and self-care. I loved this story and would absolutely recommend it to all!