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mcaliz's reviews
475 reviews
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
2.0
Thoughts
Neutral thoughts:
2.5 ⭐️'s
I liked the lore of the world the most. But I literally did not give a single f*ck about anything else in this book and the plot??? A hot mess
Neutral thoughts:
2.5 ⭐️'s
I liked the lore of the world the most. But I literally did not give a single f*ck about anything else in this book and the plot??? A hot mess
The Wish Granter by C.J. Redwine
2.0
Overall: 2.5 ⭐️s!
Content warning; drug abuse, graphic torture & murder, fat phobic comments
Rep: Plus-size rep, sibling love
Thoughts
Neutral thoughts:
This felt kind of odd plot wise? I saw where the plot was going, but the steps that lead us there just seemed unnecessary? Or it felt like we were taking 5 steps when we really only needed 2 or 3. So some things just felt dragged out.
I LOVED Sebastian and how much of cinnamon roll he was, my little heart felt for him.
Content warning; drug abuse, graphic torture & murder, fat phobic comments
Rep: Plus-size rep, sibling love
Thoughts
Neutral thoughts:
This felt kind of odd plot wise? I saw where the plot was going, but the steps that lead us there just seemed unnecessary? Or it felt like we were taking 5 steps when we really only needed 2 or 3. So some things just felt dragged out.
I LOVED Sebastian and how much of cinnamon roll he was, my little heart felt for him.
Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer
2.0
Rep: friends-to-lovers-to-hate-to-love romance, hidden identities
Thoughts
Neutral thoughts:
I’m not sure how I feel about this. This could have been a hundred pages shorter & there wasn’t even that much going on. There was HARDLY a plot, and the characters relationships were very shallow. I also don’t recommend the audiobook, they weren’t very good at emoting, I think, the proper emotions/tone that were supposed to be present at certain scenes. Would I recommend this? Yes, to an actual teen. But if you’re used to adult fantasy and are trying to dip your toes into YA fantasy, I wouldn’t suggest this be the one you give a read.
Thoughts
Neutral thoughts:
I’m not sure how I feel about this. This could have been a hundred pages shorter & there wasn’t even that much going on. There was HARDLY a plot, and the characters relationships were very shallow. I also don’t recommend the audiobook, they weren’t very good at emoting, I think, the proper emotions/tone that were supposed to be present at certain scenes. Would I recommend this? Yes, to an actual teen. But if you’re used to adult fantasy and are trying to dip your toes into YA fantasy, I wouldn’t suggest this be the one you give a read.
Brendon Cilt 19 by Claudio Chiaverotti
5.0
Thoughts:
I literally cannot wait to see where this goes!! I absolutely Vanya in Little Thieves. In this little sneak peak we see how Vanya is struggling to be someone who is worthy of love (even thought we already know that she is) and to find her place in a world that has continuously put her down again and again. She is still the messy girl from Little Thieves and I can’t WAIT to see her grow and find her place. (And see her be with Emeric again!!)
I literally cannot wait to see where this goes!! I absolutely Vanya in Little Thieves. In this little sneak peak we see how Vanya is struggling to be someone who is worthy of love (even thought we already know that she is) and to find her place in a world that has continuously put her down again and again. She is still the messy girl from Little Thieves and I can’t WAIT to see her grow and find her place. (And see her be with Emeric again!!)
Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco
4.0
Content warnings: gore, unwanted sexual encounters, gaslighting, PTSD
Rep: Non-binary MC, polyamory
Thoughts
Neutral thoughts:
This is a mix of paranormal, historical, and science-fiction. It has the aesthetic of the Dark Ages, but there was damn near modern scientific technology that it felt a little odd.
This has long chapters and it’s really dense. It’s not something that you can just MINDLESSLY read; you actually have to pay attention otherwise things aren’t going to make sense & you’re gonna have to reread sections/pages.
And if you didn't know it already about this book, this book has a polyamorous relationship between Remy, Xiaodan and Zidan. I have never read a book with a poly relationship so I can't say if the rep of one was bad in this, but I can say that I think the dynamic between all of them, how they viewed each other as individuals and in the relationship was well done and I believed it.
And the ending??? There’s going to be another book, there has to be.
Gripes:
There is a lot medical terminology & sciency things that just went RIGHT over my head. I also wasn't a big fan of the action scenes. Not that they were written poorly, I just don't care to read about them and Chupeco wrote them in enough detail that I would check out as soon as a battle scene was happening.
Rep: Non-binary MC, polyamory
Thoughts
Neutral thoughts:
This is a mix of paranormal, historical, and science-fiction. It has the aesthetic of the Dark Ages, but there was damn near modern scientific technology that it felt a little odd.
This has long chapters and it’s really dense. It’s not something that you can just MINDLESSLY read; you actually have to pay attention otherwise things aren’t going to make sense & you’re gonna have to reread sections/pages.
And if you didn't know it already about this book, this book has a polyamorous relationship between Remy, Xiaodan and Zidan. I have never read a book with a poly relationship so I can't say if the rep of one was bad in this, but I can say that I think the dynamic between all of them, how they viewed each other as individuals and in the relationship was well done and I believed it.
And the ending??? There’s going to be another book, there has to be.
Gripes:
There is a lot medical terminology & sciency things that just went RIGHT over my head. I also wasn't a big fan of the action scenes. Not that they were written poorly, I just don't care to read about them and Chupeco wrote them in enough detail that I would check out as soon as a battle scene was happening.
A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet
4.0
The one thing that kept me from giving this book 5 stars was the main girl, Cat. I wanted to strangle her sometimes! There's a line between being stubborn and then being childish. I still liked her though.
Griffin got my heart from the 1st page <3
Griffin got my heart from the 1st page <3
Rise of the Vicious Princess by C.J. Redwine
4.0
Rep: a kitten, friendship, slow burn romance
Thoughts: 4.5 ⭐️s
Neutral thoughts:
I had a fun time with this. I haven’t read a C.J. Redwine book since The Shadow Queen came out, so I wasn’t sure how much I would like this but I ended up really liking it. It definitely got me in my feels with certain scenes with her dad or literally laugh out loud at certain scenes when it was just Charis & Tal. I called out/predicated certain things EARLY ON in the story, but the way that the information was delivered took me on twists & turns & I am looking forward to the sequel!!
Pros:
-The father/daughter relationship was so sweet!! You could just tell that Charis’ dad loved his daughter very deeply & just cared about so much that it honestly made me tear up when they would heart to hearts.
-Holland. He’s one of Charis’ cousins & he provided comedic relief that was hilarious.
-The plot twists were really good! Some I saw coming, but others I did not.
Gripes:
-I think my only gripe was the pacing of the story. Not that it was bad, but it just felt off at certain parts.
-Ferris was absolutely disgusting & I can’t wait for him to rest 6 ft underground.
The romance(s):
I’m here for it. Charis & Tal have really good banter & I cannot wait to see what happens between them after what we learn at the end of this book!! You better buckle up for Angst Express because it’s going to be A LONG RIDE & I honestly can’t wait.
Thoughts: 4.5 ⭐️s
Neutral thoughts:
I had a fun time with this. I haven’t read a C.J. Redwine book since The Shadow Queen came out, so I wasn’t sure how much I would like this but I ended up really liking it. It definitely got me in my feels with certain scenes with her dad or literally laugh out loud at certain scenes when it was just Charis & Tal. I called out/predicated certain things EARLY ON in the story, but the way that the information was delivered took me on twists & turns & I am looking forward to the sequel!!
Pros:
-The father/daughter relationship was so sweet!! You could just tell that Charis’ dad loved his daughter very deeply & just cared about so much that it honestly made me tear up when they would heart to hearts.
-Holland. He’s one of Charis’ cousins & he provided comedic relief that was hilarious.
-The plot twists were really good! Some I saw coming, but others I did not.
Gripes:
-I think my only gripe was the pacing of the story. Not that it was bad, but it just felt off at certain parts.
-Ferris was absolutely disgusting & I can’t wait for him to rest 6 ft underground.
The romance(s):
I’m here for it. Charis & Tal have really good banter & I cannot wait to see what happens between them after what we learn at the end of this book!! You better buckle up for Angst Express because it’s going to be A LONG RIDE & I honestly can’t wait.
Eternally Yours by Patrice Caldwell
2.0
Thoughts
Neutral thoughts:
Out of the 15 stories in this, I only really liked 4 of them. While some of the ideas in each of the stories were really cute, I just don't think they were executed well enough and it didn't give me enough to cling on to
Undead Ghoul Meet-cute: ⭐️/5
A Thousand More: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Who Will Save Me: ⭐️⭐️/5
In the Eyes of Angels: .5/5
My Demond Prince Charming: ⭐️⭐️.5/5
Katrine & Rowan’s Exit Interview: .5/5
Bride-Heart: ⭐️⭐️/5
If You Give an Asura a Cookie: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Kiss the Boy: ⭐️⭐️/5
Piano Sonata No. 13: .5/5
Once Upon a Time in Charleston: .5/5
Pierce My Soul: .5/5
Banes & Blessings: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Bloody, Lovely: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
La Bruja y la Sirena: ⭐️/5
Neutral thoughts:
Out of the 15 stories in this, I only really liked 4 of them. While some of the ideas in each of the stories were really cute, I just don't think they were executed well enough and it didn't give me enough to cling on to
Undead Ghoul Meet-cute: ⭐️/5
A Thousand More: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Who Will Save Me: ⭐️⭐️/5
In the Eyes of Angels: .5/5
My Demond Prince Charming: ⭐️⭐️.5/5
Katrine & Rowan’s Exit Interview: .5/5
Bride-Heart: ⭐️⭐️/5
If You Give an Asura a Cookie: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Kiss the Boy: ⭐️⭐️/5
Piano Sonata No. 13: .5/5
Once Upon a Time in Charleston: .5/5
Pierce My Soul: .5/5
Banes & Blessings: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Bloody, Lovely: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
La Bruja y la Sirena: ⭐️/5
Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove by Rati Mehrotra
3.0
Special thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Content warnings: gore, animal killing
Rep: found family, slow burn romance, pan/bi sexual mc
Thoughts: 3.5 ⭐️s
Neutral thoughts:
This was fun! It think the pacing and the plot were a little rough and there were scenes that were dragged out longer than they should have been. But I liked the characters enough that I overlooked the pacing and I kept in mind that this a debut. There are some laugh out loud moments & the banter between Katyani and Daksh was really good!!
Content warnings: gore, animal killing
Rep: found family, slow burn romance, pan/bi sexual mc
Thoughts: 3.5 ⭐️s
Neutral thoughts:
This was fun! It think the pacing and the plot were a little rough and there were scenes that were dragged out longer than they should have been. But I liked the characters enough that I overlooked the pacing and I kept in mind that this a debut. There are some laugh out loud moments & the banter between Katyani and Daksh was really good!!