taliabasma's reviews
873 reviews

Demon from the Dark by Kresley Cole

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful tense
  • 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

4.25

This one was way “worse” than others in the series in terms of sadness and distress imo and my heart hurt for BOTH leads’ back story. 

I basically pulled an all nighter reading most of the book until 4 am on a work night lol…and it was worth it
A Crown This Cold and Heavy by Stacia Stark

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adventurous challenging emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

dangggg thank goodness the last book is already out or I’d be pissed abt that cliffhanger lool 
Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.0

Aggh I really enjoyed this one but DAMN I WISH she would have told him the truth 😆 I will say the ending was stellar as per usual! And the romance was fierce & fun.
The Opposite of You by Rachel Higginson

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 2%.
I wanted dual POV for this 
Paper Princess by Erin Watt

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Did not finish book.
Didn’t even start bc brothers love triangles and bulky romances are not really my vibe….def thought this was gonna be smth else from the cover lol
How to Choose a Guy in 10 Days by Lila Monroe

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 1%.
Idk the whole “omg three dates and you didn’t sleep with him” really turned me off. It’s not the first book to do this nor is it the last but it particularly read eh to me and it was only 2 pages in lol
A Kingdom This Cursed and Empty by Stacia Stark

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

There’s are too many characters for me to properly keep up with lol but it’s fine bc overall this book’s storyline is pretty juicy. 

I do think this series has a solid balance of internal and external drama for a romantacy. 

BUT I DO WANNA KNOW
IF THEY ARE FATED HOW DIDNT HE KNOW WHEN HE LEFT HER TO DIE IN BOOK ONE?!
What I Mean When I Say I'm Autistic: Unpuzzling a Life on the Autism Spectrum by Annie Kotowicz

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5.0

As a 27 yr old woman, this was super helpful and informative. I’m 98% sure I have autism but 2% of me is doubtful bc of the “stereotypical traits” I don’t have or not sure if I’ve just been masking my whole life. Like maybe I’m just trying to subconsciously be a “pick me” 😔🫣.

Buttttt after listening to this, I do feel less ridiculous about my pendulum about if I’m autistic or not. The spectrum is a spectrum and in true patriarchal scientific fashion, the diagnosis processes is not fully inclusive of women. 

Also I generally never finish non fiction after graduating school so even though it is 3 hrs long, finishing it is a huge win. 5 stars because I would probably listen to this again if I ever wanted to brush up my context around autism—but it’s unlikely and with nonfiction, my bar is lower bc i don’t read much variety. 
The Bribe by Willa Nash, Devney Perry

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
Yeah I wanted to push through but I don’t care about them much. I was curious about her reason for running but now that I know, I’m good. Might try the other books though to see what happens bc the other plots sound interesting. 

But rn this sheriff isn’t doing it for me lol 
Babymoon or Bust by Ava Hunter

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I’m not a huge fan of the baby trope and while I do enjoy a mushy head over heels love story this book was very heavy on the Insta-love which I’m also not crazy for.

However, I did love that they didn’t have the main male lead be the sleaze ball who slept with her and ditched her. Someone felt Tessie deserved better bc his love for is first wife but idk I think it was a healthy balance of love and grief over his first wife vs his love for Tessie. Someone else mentioned Tessie being a dumb name and I agree, Tessie is a nickname. Her name should have been Tessa or Tess bc I could not take Tessie seriously lol. 

Now for the climax — the third act “break up” was not needed when there were 3 other high intensity plot points after that. I know the fights are a prerequisite and wrote it myself but
Tessie almost DYING felt like a solid climax enough lol