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spellbindingtomes's reviews
347 reviews
A Love Like the Sun by Riss M. Neilson
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Misogyny, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
The Ravaged Dark by Allison Carr Waechter
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Maybe This Time by Cara Bastone
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
๐๐ง ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ข๐จ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ญ๐ช๐ง๐ฆ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ง๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐น๐ตโ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ข๐ด ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ ๐ญ๐ช๐ง๐ฆ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ข๐ด ๐ช๐ต ๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ข๐จ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ.
โข
๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ญ๐ช๐ง๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ญ๐บ.
๐๐ข๐ง๐ข ๐๐ฒ๐ง๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ:
In 1506 Joseon Korea, 17-year old Iseul's privileged life shatters when her sister becomes one of tyrannical King Yeonsan's victims, forcing her to venture into forbidden territory to rescue her. Her path crosses with Prince Daehyun, the king's half-brother, who secretly plots to overthrow his brutal sibling. Despite their initial mistrust, Iseul and Daehyun forge an alliance, combining her family connections and his royal access in a dangerous gambit to free both Iseul's sister and the kingdom from Yeonsan's reign of terror.
โข
โข
โข
I don't read many historical fictions, but when I do I always end up loving them & this was no exception. June's writing was an exquisite blend of darkness & light. The story itself was so heart wrenching and I got emotionally attached to all of the characters.
June brilliantly captures the sharp edges of sisterly devotion in this tale of sisterhood - there's something deeply honest about how even life-or-death circumstances can't instantly heal years of tension.
Iseul was a bit frustrating at first, but watching her character evolve from her pampered roots while navigating the treacherous court alongside the guarded Prince Daehyun made this such a captivating story.
June also paints such a vivid picture of what times were like in 1506 Korea, focusing on intimate struggles within the shadow of tyranny. While the murder mystery subplot was at times hard to follow, I didn't mind it as much. At its core, this is about bringing someone home against impossible odds.
My first June Hur book and definitely not my last! I listened to the audiobook, and the narrators were outstanding. Highly recommend!
Read if you love:
โข
๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ญ๐ช๐ง๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ญ๐บ.
๐๐ข๐ง๐ข ๐๐ฒ๐ง๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ:
In 1506 Joseon Korea, 17-year old Iseul's privileged life shatters when her sister becomes one of tyrannical King Yeonsan's victims, forcing her to venture into forbidden territory to rescue her. Her path crosses with Prince Daehyun, the king's half-brother, who secretly plots to overthrow his brutal sibling. Despite their initial mistrust, Iseul and Daehyun forge an alliance, combining her family connections and his royal access in a dangerous gambit to free both Iseul's sister and the kingdom from Yeonsan's reign of terror.
โข
โข
โข
I don't read many historical fictions, but when I do I always end up loving them & this was no exception. June's writing was an exquisite blend of darkness & light. The story itself was so heart wrenching and I got emotionally attached to all of the characters.
June brilliantly captures the sharp edges of sisterly devotion in this tale of sisterhood - there's something deeply honest about how even life-or-death circumstances can't instantly heal years of tension.
Iseul was a bit frustrating at first, but watching her character evolve from her pampered roots while navigating the treacherous court alongside the guarded Prince Daehyun made this such a captivating story.
June also paints such a vivid picture of what times were like in 1506 Korea, focusing on intimate struggles within the shadow of tyranny. While the murder mystery subplot was at times hard to follow, I didn't mind it as much. At its core, this is about bringing someone home against impossible odds.
My first June Hur book and definitely not my last! I listened to the audiobook, and the narrators were outstanding. Highly recommend!
Read if you love:
- historical fiction
- murder mystery
- Korean history (Joseon)
- enemies to allies to lovers
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism
True North by Carina Gaskell
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Heat of the Everflame by Penn Cole
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Sexual harassment
The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
๐๐ฐ ๐ ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฑ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ด๐ฆ๐ญ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต, ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ, ๐ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ซ๐ฐ๐บ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต. ๐'๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ท๐ข๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ. ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐จ ๐๐ก๐ฌ๐๐ฎ๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐.
โข
๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ด๐ต ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ด๐ด ๐๐ญ๐ฆ๐น ๐๐ช๐ญ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ. ๐ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ญ ๐ช๐ต ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐บ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ธ๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ด๐ฆ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ด. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ค๐ฌ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ข ๐ต๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต, ๐ต๐ถ๐ค๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฑ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ช๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ด๐ฆ๐ญ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ค๐ณ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ.
๐๐ข๐ง๐ข ๐๐ฒ๐ง๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ:
Poppy and Alex are two best friends with contrasting personalities who have vacationed together every summer for a decade. After a falling out two years ago, they haven't spoken. Feeling unfulfilled, Poppy convinces Alex to take one last trip together, hoping to repair their relationship. However, an unspoken truth complicates their connection.
โข
โข
โข
Something I appreciate about Emily's writing, after reading four of her books, is that she doesn't follow a single formula. The premise of each of her books are so different from the other which is probably why everyone seems to have their own favorite.
The same goes for all her FMCs. I always end up finding a piece of myself, however small, in each one. Poppy is someone who is flawed yet endearing in her genuineness. She's a vibrant extrovert grappling with a world that often misunderstands her exuberance. This leads to feelings of isolation and loneliness that fuels her personal journey to find the one person who truly appreciates her for who she is and places her at the center of their world, unaware that this perfect match has been by her side all along.
I LOVED Poppy and Alex! The combo of these two's clashing personalities was perfect! The delightful contrast between Poppy's sunny disposition and Alex's grumpiness created such an irresistible chemistry between them which led to witty exchanges and heartwarming moments.
Emily's ingenious storytelling alternates between past and present, weaving a narrative of memorable vacations that shows us the strong friendship Poppy and Alex have and the mounting tension. I wasn't much of a fan of the 3rd act breakup here, which is why this isn't a full 5-star, but the ending was really sweet.
PWMOV is a story that reminds us that sometimes what we're searching for is closer than we think.
Read if you love:
๐ดfriends to lovers
๐งณopposites attract
๐ดforced proximity
๐งณonly one bed
๐ดtravel romance
๐งณdual timelines
EmHen rankings:
1. Funny Story
2. Book Lovers
3. PWMOV
4. Beach Read
โข
๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ด๐ต ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ด๐ด ๐๐ญ๐ฆ๐น ๐๐ช๐ญ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ. ๐ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ญ ๐ช๐ต ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐บ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ธ๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ด๐ฆ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ด. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ค๐ฌ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ข ๐ต๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต, ๐ต๐ถ๐ค๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฑ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ช๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ด๐ฆ๐ญ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ค๐ณ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ.
๐๐ข๐ง๐ข ๐๐ฒ๐ง๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ:
Poppy and Alex are two best friends with contrasting personalities who have vacationed together every summer for a decade. After a falling out two years ago, they haven't spoken. Feeling unfulfilled, Poppy convinces Alex to take one last trip together, hoping to repair their relationship. However, an unspoken truth complicates their connection.
โข
โข
โข
Something I appreciate about Emily's writing, after reading four of her books, is that she doesn't follow a single formula. The premise of each of her books are so different from the other which is probably why everyone seems to have their own favorite.
The same goes for all her FMCs. I always end up finding a piece of myself, however small, in each one. Poppy is someone who is flawed yet endearing in her genuineness. She's a vibrant extrovert grappling with a world that often misunderstands her exuberance. This leads to feelings of isolation and loneliness that fuels her personal journey to find the one person who truly appreciates her for who she is and places her at the center of their world, unaware that this perfect match has been by her side all along.
I LOVED Poppy and Alex! The combo of these two's clashing personalities was perfect! The delightful contrast between Poppy's sunny disposition and Alex's grumpiness created such an irresistible chemistry between them which led to witty exchanges and heartwarming moments.
Emily's ingenious storytelling alternates between past and present, weaving a narrative of memorable vacations that shows us the strong friendship Poppy and Alex have and the mounting tension. I wasn't much of a fan of the 3rd act breakup here, which is why this isn't a full 5-star, but the ending was really sweet.
PWMOV is a story that reminds us that sometimes what we're searching for is closer than we think.
Read if you love:
๐ดfriends to lovers
๐งณopposites attract
๐ดforced proximity
๐งณonly one bed
๐ดtravel romance
๐งณdual timelines
EmHen rankings:
1. Funny Story
2. Book Lovers
3. PWMOV
4. Beach Read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol