xxivo's reviews
323 reviews

The Sex Wizards series was a series I already absolutely loved, but this book took it to a whole next level.

I think the biggest difference this book has compared to it's others that this feels like an epic fantasy journey. An epic fantasy journey filled with amazing smutty moments. There is a lot more plot in this book that the previous installments had less off, but at no point was this negative. Honestly, it made the experience of reading this book even better. The more plot this series adds to the books, the more deeply I care about each of the characters, and in turn that makes every sexual encounter more intense and fun.

This book follows Dom on his journey towards the other tower in Immenbach. If I'm honest, beforehand I wasn't excited about the fact Dom and Olbric were going to be seprated. Their scenes together were usually one of my favorites and missing that seemed like a loss. But oh boy was I wrong. Dom had so much fun and good times with the other people in his traveling group.  There were many great moments of smutty scenes that were absolutely perfect. So damn hot holy shit. 
Olbric howerver... he's very alone. Gosh did that feel painful to read at first. I am so so proud of him growing in his gender identity and personally as a trans person I love it so much we're a part of his exploration. But him going through all that without Dom was so sad to see. Cancassi is a great support though and I loved them together taking care of each other. But I cannot stay silent about Arlon taking care of Olbric either. Let's just say that Arlon is PEAK DADDY and I think every sub (or switch) needs one in their live. The way he took care of Dom in previous books already had me swoon so hard, but then now with Olbric, people I am weak.

This book also had me on the edge of my seat towards the end. It really got intense and dangerous for everyone I cared about. It was a lot, but in a good way. It made me tense and want to read as fast as possible to make sure everyone I care about is safe. Moments like that can be amazing in books and I thoroughly enjoyed it in this one. The story gripped me hard and intense during the latter half of the book. The way it concluded it made it all feel so worth it and it was an amazing read.

Concluding this review it makes me want to say that with every book in this series it gets better and I start recommending it to my friends more and more. 


I received an eARC and this was my honest review.

Another lovely novella in this series.

Alanna is now properly part of the crew of the Colibri and this next adventure takes them to a new planet once again. This story has awesome fight scenes again but also some diplomatic moments where the conversation that is going on is all that matters. Both I really enjoy in books and this novella had the right balance and executed them well. The fighting scenes were fast and always had me on the end of my seat. The intensity was high and it was a lot of fun.

There are two new characters introduced, the doctor helping less fortunate humans, and the wendek Raithan. I really enjoyed both of these characters. The human doctor named Chrys is a very bubbly sweet woman that reminds me of the kindness Alanna embodies. We don't see that much of her during the book but I greatly enjoyed the time spent with her. Raithan is a central character from start to finish. He gives the Colibri the job but is also part of it himself. It was so fun to see more of the different species in this universe with the highlight on the Wendek. Wendek seem so interesting, and like the book says so close to humans, but also so different at the same time. The scene where we meet Raithan at the art building was so much fun and the way he insists on his customs was really interesting. 

There is also one other character that makes an appearance, but for spoilers reasons I won't mention them... but let me just say I was so happy to see this character in this book too.
I also really loved the ending, but same as before I won't say much about that either. Just go read it!

I enjoyed that this book had POV chapters of many people as well. We had all three of the Colibri and even some more. I can often feel overwhelmed with too many POV, but I really had none of that here. Perspectives flowed between people really easily and tied the story together in a neat way. It thus was great to see how everyone was experiencing moments of mayhem and gave us a good look at the whole of the situation. It really made the book a lot better.

Concluding I think this is a great third novella that I would recommend anyone to pick up if they've read the first two, and if they didn't I'd say to start reading this series asap.


I received an eARC and this was my honest review.

I was not ready for all this sadness.

The last book really ended with a cliffhanger and this third book follows up right from that point. Dorian still feels like everything is going okay, while his manifestation is plotting big plans not caring about any of the consequences except for his happiness. Dorian and the manifestation are sort of the same person, but at the same time they weren't. They really felt like different sides of the same person, similar, but also distinctly different in a way could always tell who's POV I was reading. I feel like this was done very masterfully. In a way that totally made it make sense and avoided any confusion for the reader. It was for sure one of the things that made this book so great.

Dorian's chapters were quite happy this book. He keeps growing immensely in his emotional well being, has good sweet moments with Milo, and gives a lot of positive classes to his kids. His manifestation though, those were really intense chapters with a lot of plot. Dorian's chapters were the needed breathers between the deep sadness and cruelty of the manifestations life. This split in how the chapters felt made for a very nice flow of the story that helped me get through the book. I definitely had moments where I put down my ereader while in the manifestations chapters, just to mentally take a second to process all that was going on. Those chapters were a lot, but a lot in a good way that gripped me to keep reading.

The students of this series still are one of the best and bright highlights of the books. It's extremely fulfilling to see them grow, become stronger, become more mature, while at the same time giving a lot of teenage jokes to enjoy. They give these books moments where I snorted out loud, laughing about a joke trying to tell my friends what happened in the book. I started caring about these students almost as much as Dorian cares for them (don't worry he still comes up top). They add so much to this book I can't image this series without them.

Concluding this book is a masterful third book that is both very light and very dark and I can't wait to read how this story continues.


I received an eARC and this was my honest review.

This book was the best bear hug ever.

This book was absolutely a cozy fantasy. This book made me smile and crush from start to finish and I had such a good time every second of this story. It's low stress just fun and exactly a book I needed recovering from the intense weeks I had in august. It gave me a way to forget how much previous weeks were and made me able to hide in this wonderful world of big men giving hugs.

The atmosphere from this book was amazing. The main character being in the middle of nowhere in a forest gives such an unique setting. That meant that there really were only three characters in this book. The main character, the love interest, and one mutual friend. Together they made a trio that made me want to be outdoors. The way the book describes all the trees, the little creeks, the sunshine through those trees. It was absolutely freeing.

The romance was so absolutely sweet and heartwarming too. It had this fire from the start of two men who find each other absolutely sexy but need to hold back every move they want to take. It gave a lot of longing and yearning to the first half of the book that I really love in romance. Give me two men who can't wait to kiss and I'm totally happy. 
When the romance slowly changed to more intimate scenes I absolutely ate it up. The two bigger men were described in such a sexy way. Big hugs, nuzzling into the crook of each others arm, big butts, being a small spoon with a big guy holding you from behind, really what else does a bi man like me need in a book? It was hot full of fire with a layer of tenderness underneath of two men who care for each other so much too. It was the best.

During the book I had no idea how this book would resolve the struggle of the article that's a big theme start to finish. I'm not to good at predicting these things to start with though. But without spoiling too much this ending was so satisfactory I loved it.

Concluding this is a book about bear hugs and cozy times and it was exactly what I needed.


I received an eARC and this was my honest review.

This book gave so many little facts that made my heart sing.

Of course we all know that queer people always existed. That we might be hidden in history but nontheless always existed. But what if we go back, and uncover every little corner where we might have been before? What if we look deeper into history and see how we were maybe essential to the stories we all grew up with? This simple premise sounded a lot of fun to read, but only when I was a few chapters in I realized how much I actually needed a book like this. This book made me squeal, smile, share little facts to all my friends. I needed this reminder that yes we really have been here since the start. And reminding me it did in the best way possible.

This book takes for each chapter a different creature and that was a lot of fun. Instead of going chronological it was held together by themes. This way we read many little stories why a unicorn might be tied to queer people. Ever time I was suprised to see there were more ways we are connected to each folklore creature. I didn't expect that each of them had so many ties to queer people. Reading about all of them was thus really a big good time.

I also want to talk about how respectful this book was for historical people. It held the right balance of reading between the lines of written history, while still not assuming big things. It definitely hinted towards a lot of things but wouldn't put labels down on people. Gendernonconforming historical people were called gendernonconforming instead of straight up trans for example. Gendernonconforming is a descriptive that definitely was accurate for them, and doesn't label them with an identity like trans is. I felt like the book did this really well.

Concluding this book is amazing if you're queer and want to know more facts about how we're rooted in the stories of the world.


I received an eARC and this was my honest review.

This book made me the most uncomfortable with a book since a long while. In a good way

The only other book that has made me more uncomfortable was House of Leaves and that book what a whole different kind of experience. It were so many layers that made this book uncomfortable for me that I struggle to sum it all up. But don't get me wrong, this wasn't a bad quality of the book. It's meant to be uncomfortable that's clear, and the book did so masterfully. 

This book is very detailed in it's gore. Things I absolutely love in White his books. This book delivers with gruesome details just like the previous ones did. There is a difference though. This book isn't as much a story with many fantasy elements, it's deeply rooted in the nowadays time. It has gore made by humans like your average neighbor. It gives this book a feeling that makes it come way closer to home than White's previous books did. I felt like I was reading a story my friends could've told me happening in their neighborhood. It made this book incredibly intense.

I also felt like this book felt so human in it relationships with the main character. Although... it probably felt so human to me because of the Autism of the main character. 
What I liked about the relationships however is that they weren't wholly good or wholly bad. There were parents who were kind of supportive, but at the same time difficult about it. I have not seen this done in fiction often. Most times parents are wholeheartedly supportive or deeply transphobic. Seeing this way of a coming out reaction be put in the book was very refreshing to read and made me think back a lot on my own coming out.
Often young adult novels also have the main character have this one best friend or a group of close friends that are their steadfast companions. This book the main character really didn't have friends to start with. That changes during the book that I won't talk about, but at the start the main character is clearly quite alone. This take I also found really interesting to read. I don't relate to it much, but I know gaming friends of mine who had quite the same experience. So to have this be so clearly put in a book was neat.

Then the plot itself of the book felt tense from start to finish. I wasn't able to stop thinking about it and it had fully gripped me. There was always the feeling of danger being there leading the story on, forcing the main character to take big actions that felt overwhelming sometimes. But it felt overwhelming in the right way and made it so much fun to read and keep on going to see where it would lead him next.

I think that there was another layer to it being so uncomfortable that's a bit more unique to non USA readers though. I often feel awkward reading deeply American high school stories. It always seems to be so close to being relatable, but it just isn't. And that has made me feel off with a significant number of books in the past. This book that felt so American was no different. I'm not saying that that's good or bad, it just is and that's okay. It did make me rant about this with friends though and it felt worth it to mention in the review.

Concluding I want to say that this book feels very unique and executes that perfectly, while at the same time telling a great story.



I received an ARC and this was my honest review.

This was one of the first literary novels I read and it was a journey.

To make clear from the start, I did enjoy this book. But I am a complete newbie to literary novels which will be the perspective this review will be written from. It took me a very long time to get into it. I was not used to the way the words flowed. They were written beautifully with a lot of words giving strong images, but it was new to me. When I got used to it eventually though I really started enjoying it. They gave a lot of beautiful feelings to the story and added a lot to what was happening.

The story itself was really interesting. It started intense immediately for the story to calm down a bit afterwards. The start of the main characters partner being attacked was a lot and made me feel for both men from the start. When it's then revealed the partner was attacked because he was with another man things changed with how I felt about him, but at the same time I kept hoping he would be okay.

There is a big part of the book where the main character meets a trans woman. I liked it how she was a character with her own background and personality. Her stress around bottom surgery was relatable to me as I am in my own process of working towards that as a trans man and it was interesting to see this included in the book.

The part where the main character starts transitioning to be with his love interest had me hold my breath a little bit as a trans person. I was worried about it being handled with sensitivity but it ended up being quite okay. I can imagine that if transitioning is the only way to legally be with your partner, it is something someone wants to try out. I was hoping to see any type of dysphoria mentioned, that being dysphoric over looking feminine, or dysphoria over still looking too masculine but that didn't happen in the story. Such things were not included and it made me feel a bit disconnected from this part of the story. But at the same time I thought it was decently okay.

The ending was quite open and vague for me. I do want to acknowledge this might be because of my autism and new venture into literary fiction, as it often happened I wouldn't exactly know what was going on. But it had some style about the ending I still quite liked.

Concluding this is an interesting story to read about a gay life in Tehran where the main character is trying to grasp what happened to their partner in an attack.


I received an eARC and this was my honest review.

This book really made me feel that I want to read more historical romance.

Following up the great book The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting this book comes with a similar idea of a couple from different stations, but takes a whole different take on it. No fortune hunting in this book, rather the opposite. Someone of high station is pretending not to be. This switch around was a lot of fun and gave the book a whole different vibe. Instead of everything happening in high society, now a lot was in public coaches and common inns. I absolutely enjoyed this and made for a book that felt quite a bit more cozy. There was simple fun and simple joys everywhere.

The main character Severn is a fun guy, albeit a little bit unaware of what's happening around him. He makes for a great character to follow, because he's just as new to the outer world as we are as readers. He tries his best, but usually fails. He was easy to relate to because of this and that really enhanced the book. He is also simply very kind and willing to help out, even if that severely complicates things for him. He's a genuine person that just wants best for everyone, and it made me instantly like him. The start of the book with him being robbed on his first foray out with a random hookup was a little bit funny, although I also felt sorry for the bloke. It gave the book a lighthearted start that set the tone for the rest of this fun book.

Daizell is a lovely guy as well. He is quite cynical, having lost so much in his life, so he isn't that positive of a guy anymore. This quite contrasts with Severn which balances out the vibes of the story really well. Daizell ends up agreeing to help Severn even though he isn't all that positive about it. He sees it as an opportunity to get a lot of money, as Severn seems to be promising a lot, but doesn't actually feel like helping much. This slowly starts changing over the story though. The more time the two men spend together, the more they start liking each other. Liking each other... and then loving each other. 

The love these two have for each other the further the book comes is so absolutely wholesome. I really ate up every hug these two had, every caress they gave each other, every kiss they daringly gave. They were adorable and I couldn't get enough of it. Even more their intimate moments together were really sweet, but also totally hot. I greatly enjoyed them and felt all warm and happy about it.

To conclude this was a fun and lighthearted story about two men of different stations falling in love and traveling around the countryside.



I received an eARC and this was my honest review.

This book made me feel like the happiest songs I stim to. 

Don't ask me to explain that. This book made me feel longing for good times, while at the same time feeling absolutely great. It made me feel like a bright summer day when I'm sitting outside in the sun and reading my book (there was absolutely no sun to be seen when I was reading this though). And it also made me feel full of love and warmth as if my partner was giving me a hug. 

I don't know why I kept reading these books off for so long. This is my first in the series and like said it's quite okay to read as a standalone. But gosh do I want to know about all of the other people in the book ASAP and I can't wait until I can meet them properly. I am sold on this series.

As the main character Basil was such a lovely guy. He really tries his best and make things work even though everything is a huge chaos for him. I can't imagine becoming the head of a family like that and definitely was intense to him too. He tries so hard to do right by everything though. He genuinely cares for his siblings and wants to see them well which is so so adorable. Him being hesitant and wanting his life to settle down is so valid too though, but at the same time... this lovely lady is there.

Gerry is such a fun woman too. She is strong in her opinions and lets it be known to friends she doesn't want their meddling, although this doesn't stop them in the end. She is knowledgeable in her work as a spellmaster and it's a thing in her I really admire. But at the same time she also greatly enjoys her work which is such a joy to read as well. But she's so friendly too, always being polite towards the suitors her friends give her and kind to all her shop. I also really love the way her demiromanticism is handled was so lovely. It is my first book where I read about someone who is demiromantic and I really think it was handled with love.

The way these two interact is so so lovely. I just... ugh FEELS. This was such a slowburn, the biggest slowburn I might have read, 500 pages long is really long. But gosh do I love a slowburn like this. They kind of keep dancing around each other, saying to themselves and others all kinds of reasons why it wouldn't work. Until they realize it maybe does work. And that moment was a crying moment for me okay. It was such a sweet and climactic moment I just... had feels. However before they come together all of the interactions and love and care they had for each other was so lovely, so welcoming and sweet I ate it up. And I can't wait to read more when I go back into the other books of the series.

So if you want bright happy feelings this book is for you. 


I received an eARC and this was my honest review.