bookstarbri's reviews
360 reviews

Forbidden Mafia Prince by Ella Frank, Brooke Blaine

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dark fast-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

3.0

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

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dark emotional 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

3.5

Never Say Never by Skyler Snow, Brea Alepoú

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adventurous dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

2.75

Say I Do by Skyler Snow, Brea Alepoú

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dark funny tense fast-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

4.75

Paid in Full by Skyler Snow, Brea Alepoú

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Take Me Apart by Skyler Snow, Brea Alepoú

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dark emotional tense 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? Yes

4.25

This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings

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adventurous dark mysterious tense 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

4.5

Wow. Y'all I cannot stress enough how good this book was. If this is not on the top of your tbr, put it there immediately. I feel like vampires never really stopped being popular, but they're definitely going through sort of a renaissance right now and Hayley Dennings has just written the next great vampire book! It has everything you could possibly want in a paranormal romance. It felt very Romeo & Juliet with the divisions between our main characters, Layla and Elise. Their families are on opposite sides of a long standing feud between vampires and humans trying to protect the city *from* vampires.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was the tension. A lot of times, the dynamics between enemies don't quite hit right, but this one definitely did. Layla and Elise had so much history fueling the tension between them, it was palpable from their first interaction well into their last. Their chemistry was undeniable and I loved them. The two were amazing and I absolutely adored reading this book as much as I did partially because of them. And then of course there was the story itself, with a plot that really kept propelling the story forward and sucking me in the further I read. The setting of this book is 1920s Harlem, and that setting made this all the more fun to read. The world we're drawn into felt lively and electric. There were a lot of side characters, but the ones who stood out were great additions to the story.

Really, the only reason I didn't give this a firm 5 stars was just because the middle was a little slow in some spots and some scenes went on a little longer than I thought it needed. Also, sometimes the main antagonists slipped into Disney-villain mode and it took me out for a bit. But honestly these are minor gripes as this story was so fun and I am eagerly awaiting the sequel!

Thanks so much to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

amazing, weird, kinda freaky, unique. loveddddd
Mismatched by Anne Camlin

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

this was very cute and I liked the little twist of the romance there was. I expected it to happen, but I was still very happy when it did. The art in this is also sooo cute and I appreciated the easy flow of the story. My main complaint is that the climax of the story sort of felt very abrupt. I felt like the MC's feelings were suddenly switched very randomly and with little buildup to the big reveal. I feel like with how well the rest of the story moved, this section was just a little jarring. But overall, I really enjoyed this. The MC is funny and dramatic and flawed, but learning how to be better and it was nice to see that. Super cute and easy romcom!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Little Brown for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Drown Me with Dreams by Gabi Burton

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adventurous dark mysterious tense 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

5.0