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vel629vet's reviews
1031 reviews
The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
emotional
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
3.5
I loved the variation on the typical romance novel where it takes the majority of the book for the couple to fall in love/find each other. In this one, the love happens earlier, but the conflict makes perfect sense to the story and doesn't involve miscommunication! Connor is a great male hero, and Fizzy is fantastic.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The prose was stunning. The story was unique. I loved the vignettes of Addie experiencing history, I loved following her around New York. I did not love Henry. I did not love their connection or lack thereof, and I didn’t love the ending. But I absolutely want to read more Schwab based on the writing alone!
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Very very nearly 5 stars. The butterflies and sparkly love vibes were all over this book and I adored the characters and the story. Definitely my favorite Ali Hazelwood so far!
Flawless by Elsie Silver
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Quick, easy, and fun! Banter was excellent and the story wasn’t trying to do too much. Would love to continue this series!
The Waiting Tide by Ryan W. Bradley
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
3.25
Really loved about 4 of the poems.
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Disappointingly this was one of my least favorite Maas books... I waited a while to write this review to try to gather my thoughts about everything but I'm still having trouble pinpointing the exact issues I had. But here are a few:
- too much exposition, too much story in one book
- too much telling of the history that led the world to where it is. Literally entire chapters of a character just telling Bryce about the history of Midgard or battles or whatever. It was too much.
- 'twists' just to make things exciting, rather than them actually being planned out
- everything with the wolves felt useless
- everything with the house of flame and shadow felt useless (like it was only there to make sure the title of the book tied into the story)
- the climax and big battle didn't have the same intensity as books 1 and 2 - like she felt like she needed to make them even bigger than before and instead they just fell flat
- I was incredibly bummed with how the ACOTAR characters actually came into play
- the torture scenes were excessively and unnecessarily graphic
Overall a really disappointing read for me from SJM.
- too much exposition, too much story in one book
- too much telling of the history that led the world to where it is. Literally entire chapters of a character just telling Bryce about the history of Midgard or battles or whatever. It was too much.
- 'twists' just to make things exciting, rather than them actually being planned out
- everything with the wolves felt useless
- everything with the house of flame and shadow felt useless (like it was only there to make sure the title of the book tied into the story)
- the climax and big battle didn't have the same intensity as books 1 and 2 - like she felt like she needed to make them even bigger than before and instead they just fell flat
- I was incredibly bummed with how the ACOTAR characters actually came into play
- the torture scenes were excessively and unnecessarily graphic
Overall a really disappointing read for me from SJM.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Torture, and War
A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Weakest of the series so far - I think I’m done with the Bromance series after this one unfortunately. There was absolutely no effort put in to show WHY these 2 characters had feelings for each other, and especially why Colton insta-loved Gretchen. The drama with Gretchen’s rich family was fine, but Colton’s storyline was incredibly weak. Just not worth it.
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Can’t wait to read more Rebecca Ross books because the prose was gorgeous. I loved the concept, I loved the story, and the only thing I wished for more of was more moments between Roman and Iris to just let them fall in love. More walks, runs, dates, whatever it may be. Otherwise, this story is so unique and lovely. Can’t wait for book 2!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Reread Jan 2025: this was an easier read the second time through, and I was much more forgiving of the plot choices. However, I was much less patient for the relationship talks every 5 pages. Added half a star.
Read Jan 2024: Really struggled through this one but that is likely more about me than the book.
So plot heavy that at times it seemed as though Yarros was just thinking, what could be the wildest thing to happen next??? Instead of considering the flow of the story.
Read Jan 2024: Really struggled through this one but that is likely more about me than the book.
So plot heavy that at times it seemed as though Yarros was just thinking, what could be the wildest thing to happen next??? Instead of considering the flow of the story.
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
3.0
I wanted more - the writing didn’t hook me at all and I had a really hard time getting into it. I did enjoy that there was more to the story than two people falling back in love, but the story still seemed to resolve very easily.