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snugglesandpages's reviews
250 reviews
The Binding Season by Claudia Cain
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
The Binding Season is book 3 in a dark urban fantasy series set in the small town of Fallows Creek. It has witches, fae, and an eerie dark forest that is honestly a character in and of itself. Laced together with elements of body and plant horror, the fast paced and complex plot will have you grasping the pages with eye wide anticipation.
Honestly, I don't think my words will do it justice! This series and Claudia's writing excel with each new edition, I cannot believe there is not more hype around these books! Bookstagram, you need to get on this right now!!!
The Binding Place is certainly the darker of the three books to date. Death is everywhere. The explications of botanical horror breathe malevolence entwined with haunting beauty, so intensely graphic yet captivating at the same time. I've never read anything quite like it. Claudia has such a unique voice. Her prose and imagery just grab you, pulling you deep into this dark and twisted world that blooms before your eyes.
The slow burn romance between Cass and Merich is building in a way that may feel slow for romantasy lovers, but to me feels just right. Cass has such a heavy weight of responsibility and is still processing the trauma that ripped her world apart at the end of book two. Cass's character development through the series and especially in this book, is what stands out for me. Her grief is all consuming and with her magic of the fritz, she still finds the strength to stand up for herself as The Witch, letting no man (or fae) fight the battle for her.
I also adore the family unit of Cass, Helen, Theo, Pen and now little Buzz ๐๐. There is still so much to explore between them as individual characters and the way the book ended gives me hope that we will get a deeper look into the past and Cass's mysterious dark anchors. I felt something was brewing and I am loving the direction it is headed. I anticipate that the 4th book will be a reckoning. ๐ฑ
Honestly, I don't think my words will do it justice! This series and Claudia's writing excel with each new edition, I cannot believe there is not more hype around these books! Bookstagram, you need to get on this right now!!!
The Binding Place is certainly the darker of the three books to date. Death is everywhere. The explications of botanical horror breathe malevolence entwined with haunting beauty, so intensely graphic yet captivating at the same time. I've never read anything quite like it. Claudia has such a unique voice. Her prose and imagery just grab you, pulling you deep into this dark and twisted world that blooms before your eyes.
The slow burn romance between Cass and Merich is building in a way that may feel slow for romantasy lovers, but to me feels just right. Cass has such a heavy weight of responsibility and is still processing the trauma that ripped her world apart at the end of book two. Cass's character development through the series and especially in this book, is what stands out for me. Her grief is all consuming and with her magic of the fritz, she still finds the strength to stand up for herself as The Witch, letting no man (or fae) fight the battle for her.
I also adore the family unit of Cass, Helen, Theo, Pen and now little Buzz ๐๐. There is still so much to explore between them as individual characters and the way the book ended gives me hope that we will get a deeper look into the past and Cass's mysterious dark anchors. I felt something was brewing and I am loving the direction it is headed. I anticipate that the 4th book will be a reckoning. ๐ฑ
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
4.0
"๐๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด, ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฉ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ข๐จ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐๐ช๐ท'๐ด ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ท๐ช๐จ๐ช๐ฏ๐ข"
๐ Vivienne and Gwyn have been warned too many times to never mix Vodka and Magic, but when Vivy's heart is broken by Rhys Penhallow, the sexy Welsh witch who just so happens to be a decadent of the town's founding family, the girls see so harm in casting an innocent curse to make his future love encounters a little dull and a few bad hair days.
Nine years later when Rhys returns to Graves Glen to recharge the town's lay lines, everything goes horribly wrong. Vivy quickly discovers their innocent little hex wasn't so frivolous after all, and maybe she isn't quite as over him as she thought.
๐ญ I can't believe I had this book on my shelf for nearly two years without reading it! ๐ฑ Why! Why!
The Ex-Hex is a fun and lighthearted witchy romance with characters that just you will adore. Vivy and Rhys have off the charts chemistry, the banter is hilarious, and the town is gorgeous. I also really love Vivy's family dynamic with her Cousin Gwyn and Aunty. It just gives me Practical Magic meets The Good Witch vibes.
If you haven't read this yet, please don't wait until spooky season, just read it now.
I've now got to get my hands on book 2 in the series, The Kiss Curse which I anticipate to be hilarious given it focuses on Gwyn.
Book 3, The Wedding Wish is also set for an Oct 2024 release!
๐ Vivienne and Gwyn have been warned too many times to never mix Vodka and Magic, but when Vivy's heart is broken by Rhys Penhallow, the sexy Welsh witch who just so happens to be a decadent of the town's founding family, the girls see so harm in casting an innocent curse to make his future love encounters a little dull and a few bad hair days.
Nine years later when Rhys returns to Graves Glen to recharge the town's lay lines, everything goes horribly wrong. Vivy quickly discovers their innocent little hex wasn't so frivolous after all, and maybe she isn't quite as over him as she thought.
๐ญ I can't believe I had this book on my shelf for nearly two years without reading it! ๐ฑ Why! Why!
The Ex-Hex is a fun and lighthearted witchy romance with characters that just you will adore. Vivy and Rhys have off the charts chemistry, the banter is hilarious, and the town is gorgeous. I also really love Vivy's family dynamic with her Cousin Gwyn and Aunty. It just gives me Practical Magic meets The Good Witch vibes.
If you haven't read this yet, please don't wait until spooky season, just read it now.
I've now got to get my hands on book 2 in the series, The Kiss Curse which I anticipate to be hilarious given it focuses on Gwyn.
Book 3, The Wedding Wish is also set for an Oct 2024 release!
Bunny by S.E. Tolsen
dark
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Bubby is dark, atmospheric and incredibly cinematic. I could see the gruesome scenes playing out in my mind. Literally feel them. Heart pounding. Stifled breaths. The tingle of uneasiness down my spine like someone was watching me.
I loved the first person / multiple-POV narration, it made it all the more creepier for me. Honestly, Aunt Bunny is one of the most terrifying and unhinged characters I have ever read. Thank god for sweet Goober, our doggy hero and his intuitive POV ๐ถ.
Shit really hits the fan in the last 100 pages, and suddenly we go from creepy sinister body-snatcher vibes to all out gore. It was so wild it left me utterly speechless.
Beneath the twisted supernatural elements of the story, there are well explored themes of alcoholism and the psychological effects it has on the family, especially a child living within that toxic environment. How the demon of addiction possesses the body and mind to a point where the lines between fact and fiction and blurred.
Bunny is the first novel from husband and wife writing duo, Emma Olsen and Vere Tindale published under the pseudonym S.E Tolsen. It's hella creepy and a MUST for your Halloween TBR. If you are looking for a twisted and haunting read that will literally infiltrate your reality, this is your book!
I loved the first person / multiple-POV narration, it made it all the more creepier for me. Honestly, Aunt Bunny is one of the most terrifying and unhinged characters I have ever read. Thank god for sweet Goober, our doggy hero and his intuitive POV ๐ถ.
Shit really hits the fan in the last 100 pages, and suddenly we go from creepy sinister body-snatcher vibes to all out gore. It was so wild it left me utterly speechless.
Beneath the twisted supernatural elements of the story, there are well explored themes of alcoholism and the psychological effects it has on the family, especially a child living within that toxic environment. How the demon of addiction possesses the body and mind to a point where the lines between fact and fiction and blurred.
Bunny is the first novel from husband and wife writing duo, Emma Olsen and Vere Tindale published under the pseudonym S.E Tolsen. It's hella creepy and a MUST for your Halloween TBR. If you are looking for a twisted and haunting read that will literally infiltrate your reality, this is your book!