katvou's reviews
469 reviews

Second book in The Starling series, continues 4 months after Crown of Blood and Stars.

The book is told in two POVs, Adeena & Dreyden. I loved getting Dreyden’s POV too. It helped me to learn more about him as a character. Both Adeena & Dreyden continued to be interesting characters. I loved seeing Adeena grow as a character in both the first book and this one, and become more confident & powerful

The side characters were also interesting, and I especially liked Lyra. She seemed like a great friend.

The book was action-packed while still having time for character and relationship development. I couldn’t put the book down and devoured it in one sitting.

I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys fast-paced fantasy romance with fated mates, Greek mythology, touch her and die, discovering powers, and court politics.

Can’t wait to read more!

“Whatever you say, Kraken Daddy,”

“Was it really big if you weren’t worried the corners of your lips would tear?”

Sweet, short and spicy, fast paced holiday monster romance.

Connected to the Monsters' Mates series. I would recommend reading Marked by the Sea first to get to know the characters.

Fast paced fantasy romance with fated mates, forced proximity (one bed), prophecy, touch her and die, and discovery of powers.

I really enjoyed this book. The FMC, Adeena, was strong and stabby, and the MMC, Dreyden, was possessive, protective and definitely swoon-worthy.

The book was full of action from start to finish, while there was still time for character and relationship development. I loved the flirty banter between Adeena and Dreyden. And the bathtub scene 🔥

The world of the book was really interesting and the writing style made me feel like I was in the middle of the action. I can’t wait to learn more about Adeena’s powers.

This book was told in Adeena’s POV and from what I’ve heard the next book will also have Dreyden’s POV. In my opinion the single-POV storytelling worked well for the plot.

Can’t wait to read book 2!

This is not a dark romance, this is erotic horror, so don’t go to this book expecting romance. And please read the trigger warnings before reading!

I think the story had potential, but personally I felt like everything happened too fast and without much explanation.

I liked the beginning, moving to a new town and an old farmhouse, but after meeting the lawyer things happened so quickly and felt rushed. However, in my opinion the last few chapters were better. I personally liked the ending and felt like it fit the storyline well.

In summary, a good beginning and a good ending, but I did not enjoy the middle part. I didn’t have issues with the darkness, just with the overly rushed plot.



I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.

Taylor Swift’s music is full of metaphors and imagery, and it was really interesting to read the author’s interpretation of the lyrics’ meaning. Of course, listening to music is subjective, and people interpret meanings in different ways.

I enjoyed the stylistic choices in how the notes were presented in the book. They looked like handwritten notes with circled words, underlining, etc. It almost felt like reading someone’s personal notebook.

The glossary at the end was helpful because I wasn’t familiar with all the terminology the author used.

If you’re a Swiftie who enjoys analyzing and exploring the meaning and message behind Taylor Swift’s lyrics, I highly recommend checking out this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.

“To be amongst the living is to always be in some state of mourning, is it not?”
“I’m not unfamiliar with being called peculiar for just being myself.”
“Two dark and twisted souls destined to find each other.”

Fun and quick to read dark, gothic, mysterious loose Mary Poppins reimagining.

This was the first Mary Poppins retelling / reimagining I’ve ever read, and honestly, I’m not that familiar with the original Mary Poppins. However, that didn’t affect my reading experience, and I really enjoyed this book!

Loved the gothic, mysterious feel and found Marigold to be a fascinating character. I also enjoyed how Marigold and Barrett were able to overcome their pasts together and find love in each other.

Loved the detailed, descriptive writing. The storyline itself was engaging, full of twists and turns, and kept me hooked.

I highly recommend checking this out if you enjoy dark, gothic, spicy reads with interesting, complex characters.

“I want him to suffer. I want him to carry the same pain that he caused me to his grave.“

“Who the fuck said revenge was a dish best served cold? My revenge is on fucking fire! I’m serving it hot.”

“You smell tasty. I’m going to swallow you like I do an oyster. Straight down, and raw.”

“I do not know how my story will end, but I know one thing for certain. I will create my own salvation.”

I always struggle with rating and reviewing anthologies. I never know whether to review each story separately or the anthology as a whole. The stories in this one were really different from each other, but they all focused on female rage and strong, fierce FMCs.

I really enjoyed most of the short stories, but unfortunately, I ended up DNF’ing one.

My absolute favorite was Trigger Point by Ivy Graves. The FMC, Sylvia, was such a great character. I loved how she was like a mad scientist with her garden of death and the twisted way she handled her “pets”.

If you enjoy dark, twisted books filled with feminine rage and FMCs getting revenge, I highly recommend checking out this anthology.

This book sounded interesting, but unfortunately, it wasn’t for me.

I personally didn’t enjoy the writing style and felt like things happened too quickly without much explanation. I understand that this is a short novella, so there isn’t a lot of time for character and relationship development. However, I personally felt that the plot was too rushed.

That said, it was nice to see OCD representation and a thoughtful exploration of it.

I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.

“Let me replace that hovering darkness with better things.”
“I think it’s time I show them just how much of a monster I really am.”
“Perfectly wicked… What a beautiful thing to be called.”
“That’s right, show me your inner beast. I’m not scared of you.”
“Santa is coming. Too bad you’ve been a naughty girl.”


Great short and spicy erotic horror Grinch retelling. Perfect, twisted Christmas novella!

Like all of Ab’s retellings, this one was amazing. This was my first Grinch retelling, and now I’m hooked. I need more!

Grinch and Max made a great pair. They were both funny characters with dark and difficult pasts that influenced their actions. I especially loved how unhinged Max was. And the spice between them? Truly spicing! 🔥

The ending caught me completely off guard. It was so unexpected, but it fit the story perfectly.



I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.

“Sometimes the brightest flowers can be overshadowed by the deepest sadness.”
“She’s everything I could ever want and more. She’s my lifeline and my whole damn fucking world.”
“I’m left in no man’s land, grasping for answers that seem just out of reach.”
“Only you could turn a romantic meal into a five-star disaster.”
“Aa long as she’s with me, I have a reason to keep breathing.”


This is one of those books that makes you second guess everything. I had suspicions about what was happening early on, but only the last few chapters fully confirmed what had happened.

I liked how many flashbacks to different times there were in the book, and how some of the story was happening in the present, but also a lot had already happened and it was told through Killian’s memories. A lot of the story is also told through his inner monologue, which worked well for the storyline.

The story of Killian and Laelia was beautifully written. And the highly descriptive writing made me feel like I was in the middle of the story, almost tasting the mango ice cream or chocolate doughnuts. This was a funny, lighthearted romance, but also a deeper story about tragedy, traumatic experiences, and loss.

I’ve previously beta read some of the chapters so I knew some of the things that happened, but it didn’t take anything away from my reading experience or make the events any less impactful. And even if I knew some scenes, I didn’t know the whole story.



I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.