shellballenger's reviews
484 reviews

Type of read: Lunch/Weekend Read.

What made me pick it up: Maas sucked me in with ACOTAR and now I just want more of the Maasverse and let's be honest, to prepare for the interconnection of all her literary worlds.

Overall rating: I think one of my favorite things about Maas is how they can create a world and all of these beautiful, broken, horrific, relatable characters but still make you feel like you're transported a million miles away while you read. 'Queen of Shadows' was another builder for me. Honestly, it wasn't until the last one hundred pages or so that I was literally sitting there gasping, squirming, screaming, and frustrated. I don't think 'Queen of Shadows' sucked me in as much as some of the earlier in the series, but I did really like that we got so many varying perspectives and experiences. We also get some great backstory and additional insight on multiple characters, which is always nice. Overall, not mad. It's not a throw-across-the-room book by any means, but I feel like we're getting to a place where the story is going to stab me in the heart here soon.

EDITED TO ADD: I've had a couple days to think on 'Queen of Shadows' and I'm getting angrier that literally all the good parts are stuffed into the last 150 pages or so. Grrrrrr.

Reader's Note: 'Queen of Shadows' includes themes of death, dying, forced pregnancy, kidnapping/capture, and torture.

My extended reading time of 'Queen of Shadows' has nothing to do with the content and more to do with the fact that I was working through buying and selling our house when I started. My nights and weekends were spent packing instead of in Rifthold. If I squished all my reading sessions together, it'd be about two weeks' worth.

Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: I stumbled across the Black Dagger Brotherhood in early 2024 with Darius (Book 0) and I got sucked into this crazy, cracked-out, sexy, throwback-feeling, world of vampires fighting something more evil than themselves.

Overall rating: Vishous...oh you dark, broken, beautiful man. I feel like 'Lover Unbound' was one of the first in the series where Ward played with a new storyline dynamic. We had flashbacks, multiple character POVs, and more of a focus on the community (and ultimately the world that Ward has created) as a whole, rather than just one of the brothers. There are definitely some jaw-dropping moments - I, for one, was not expecting the big twist - and times when you are truly sucked into the book and what's happening with these characters. As I mentioned, 'Lover Unbound' continues to build the world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood and the many characters within. We get more info on John

and ultimately get to see him through his transition and learning more about his father, Darius

, Fury, and Zsadist. We also get a bit more of a look into the ritual and pomp of the Scribe Virgin and that portion of the brother's world. I also loved that Jane was not the traditional FMC. She's got a little extra spunk to her and that's refreshing, although some of her character arc was extremely predictable.

And I feel it's necessary to say, I appreciate that Ward didn't truly make Manny out to be a bad guy. It was refreshing to see a male character outside of the Brotherhood not get the creeper/bad guy rap.

I know I've said it before in previous reviews for this series, but I feel like I just have to say it again, this is just a good escape read. You don't have to think too much about it, you don't have to try and keep things straight (Ward does a great job dropping little reminders at the beginning of each book and throughout so you keep the characters and their traits straight), and you can just dive into a (slightly dated) world of sexy vampire warriors. I'm here for it.

Reader's Note:  'Lover Unbound' includes themes of death; dying; consensual sexual activity; consensual BDSM sexual activity with sub/dom relationships; violence; kidnapping; torture; murder; sexual assault; and character recollections of physical and sexual abuse. There's also a lot of LGBTQIA+ conversation within 'Lover Unbound,

especially as it navigates the relationship between Butch and Vishous, Vishous's past sexual history and partners, and how everything continues to work and grow within their relationship with each other and with their mates

. I'm not going to say that it's homophobic, rather, it's quite understanding and loving; however, I think it's the way the Brotherhood talks and just the wording Ward chooses that make it feel juuuuuuuuust a tish on the uncomfy side (which, realistically, might have been the goal).

Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: The story of Hades and Persophone is one of my absolute favorites and I love it when stories are rethought and retold.

Overall rating: "Are you well?" No, Hades, I am not well. I don't know what I think of 'A Touch of Darkness' and it's about as frustrating as that sexual tension between you and Persophone. Here's the thing, I absolutely love the story of Hades and Persophone - like the actual Greek myth of the two gods and how they became, quite literally, one of mythology's power couples. And I think that is absolutely why I have a love/hate relationship with 'A Touch of Darkness.' I LOVED how Hades was portrayed and the layers and complexity we saw within him; however, Persophone was nauseating and lackluster. She was a whiny child that needed to grow a pair of pomegranates

(which she does at the end of the book, but damn...that was a painful journey to get there)

. 

I think one of the things I also struggled with in 'A Touch of Darkness' was the human/god dichotomy and how they lived together but separately. I didn't feel like that was fully fleshed out. There were parts where it was normal to see a god on the street or in a bar, but then there were other parts where it was like they were held to this crazy celebrity status and the informality didn't make sense. I'm not rushing to pick up the second book in the series anytime soon. 

Reader's Note:  'A Touch of Darkness' includes themes of consensual sex, consensual first-time sex, brief instances of sexual assault, torture, and death. Also, fair warning, after you get about 1/3 of the way through the book, until a few chapters from the end, there are some <i> detailed </i> spicy scenes. Although, I did think they were tasteful...for being straight-up smut.

Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: One of the TN R.E.A.D.s prompts for September is to read a translated book.

Overall rating: Religion, death, disappearances, and water polo. Confused yet? I don't know how much of it was the actual book and how much of it was the translation (there was most certainly something lost in translation) but I struggled with 'Dissolved.' I wanted to like this book so badly. It also might have been easier in a physical version versus the audio version so I could see the transitions and the breaks between sections. I did have to read this one a bit more sparingly, I wouldn't call it a binge-able book - at least not the first half.

Struggle aside, 'Dissolved' is packed with content, there's a lot of moving parts and pieces, but once you get a hold on who is who, what part of the storyline they are coming from, and how they fit into the greater picture, it gets a lot easier to enjoy the book. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't until about a third of the way through that I felt like I was understanding what was going on. And then it seemed like the climax of the book was glanced over and we went into full-resolution mode. I had to rewind and make sure I caught it correctly because it was so much of an anticlimactic climax. I don't feel like I could recommend 'Dissolved' as an audiobook with the English translation. Maybe the print version is better?

Reader's Note: 'Dissolved' includes themes of religion (Islam and Christianity), religion used as a weapon, death, murder, and torture.

Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: We were in the process of a move from one side of town to the other when I was looking for new reads. 'It Was an Ugly Couch Anyway' just called to me.

Overall rating: I know, I know, I know...I've said it a million times before, but ESPECIALLY with books that are solely reliant on the author's thoughts and experiences I feel like it's important to reiterate...the author is simply sharing their thoughts, remembrances, and experiences and their perception of those things. They are also writing it in a way they think should be presented to us, the reader. 

Ok, all that out of the way, 'It Was an Ugly Couch Anyway' was the epitome of meh for me. There were definitely parts I thoroughly enjoyed, such as the quote I pulled out below, but there was a lot more that just felt like mundane diary entries. I also don't feel like this book is the best representation of Passarella as a humorist. I haven't read any of their other books, but I didn't find the majority of, or even the undertones of, 'It Was an Ugly Couch Anyway' to fall into the humor category.

"Maybe I needed the city lights or the slight humiliation of peeing my pants to remind me that my body is capable of so much. But it still leaks. Pee. Tears. Swear words. Because I'm still human. I take great pride in the fact that it is imperfect and slowly descending back to the dust, that it carries me home, where my family - and a change of pants - are waiting."

Reader's Note: 'It Was an Ugly Couch Anyway' includes an underlying theme of religion and how religion weaves its way through the author's life. This includes the use of Christian bible verses.

Type of read: Lunch/Weekend Read.

What made me pick it up: I was looking at book lists and saw 'Code Name...' and it seemed interesting. Plus, I love any book that talks about strong women breaking barriers.

Overall rating: Books that make you think and realize that you weren't always given the entire story are absolute gems. I enjoyed 'Code Name: Lise' and thought it told the amazing story of Odette Sansom. I think above all else, I love that Sansom did quite a bit of her work scared. But she did it anyway because she knew the importance of it and what it would mean not only for herself but for her country.

I do think the glossary/who's who at the beginning of the book is extremely helpful and if I had had a tangible copy of the book, I feel like I would have been flipping back to it quite often as sometimes the names and code names of individuals got a bit mushy. I'm not mad that this one made it onto my TBR and I would recommend it to those who enjoy nonfiction, specifically often untold or underrepresented nonfiction stories.

Reader's Note: I ended up enjoying 'Code Name: Lise' as an eBook and Audiobook - working to finish the book in any format after my eBook library loan lapsed.

Type of read: Commuter Read

What made me pick it up: I've been binging 'The Crown' on Netflix and 'Unroyal' popped up on the available now list for my library.

Overall rating: 'Unroyal' felt like an end-of-the-year book report. It's a collection of the author's writing mixed with citations and references to other significant points in time that connect the dots between Simpson, Spencer, and Markle, attempting to share what qualities, triggers, and instances distanced them - and in some cases the men they loved - from the throne. I'm not mad at it, but I think I was expecting more. Again with the book report analogy, it felt like Lyall took the easy sources and used them to their advantage. That's not a bad thing, it just felt...fluffy.

If you choose to enjoy 'Unroyal,' I highly suggest the audio version as it has actual audio clips from the citations, which is always fun to hear the true voices. 

Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: BookTok made me start the series, Yarros writing in 'Fourth Wing' brought me back.

Overall rating: The Empyrean series continually reminds me that for every ten books recommended on BookTok, only one or two are going to be good. And 'Iron Flame' is good. I cringed, audibly gasped, cried, laughed, and generally, just enjoyed 'Iron Flame.' The character development was natural, the introduction of new characters made sense, the relationship building was steamy but real (seriously, can't tell you how much I love seeing a couple have issues...book boyfriends are great, but it's not all hearts and roses). While there are a few predictable bits and pieces, it's not overwhelming or taking away from the storyline. If anything, it gives the reader a chance to say 'I KNEW IT!'

I wasn't expecting the ending, but I'm not surprised by it. About half way through the book, I was wondering what Yarros was going to do to keep the Xaden/Violet relationship moving but tumultuous.

I don't really know how I'm expected to hold out until 2025 for 'Onyx Storm' but if I must...I'll just be here dreaming of my continuing collection of shadow daddies.

Reader's Note:  'Iron Flame' includes themes of war, death, dying, torture, and sex. I'll also add, as a copy-paste from my review of 'Fourth Wing' since it also applies to 'Iron Flame:' There's not a lack of sex. Descriptive, steamy, wall shattering, sex. If you've read the ACOTAR series, it's Silver Flames-level sex, with a few Starlight cringe moments. Additionally, I appreciate the fact that our FMC is a sex-positive individual.

Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: I grew up watching Thompson on All That and I think I was looking for a redeeming celebrity memoir to block out some of the past, not-so-successful or engaging memories I've read this year.

Overall rating: 'When I Was Your Age' is delightfully superficial. You're not getting anything super crazy or controversial with Thompson, they are still very much in the Hollywood spotlight and maintaining a career in front of the camera, but you do get some cute, fun, behind-the-scenes stories about what makes the actor who they are. Don't get me wrong, there are serious moments within the pages too, but I saw it as very much a rose-colored glasses, coffee talk style, recollection of all the things that have made Thompson who they are. Overall, not a bad read but you're definitely getting fluff. 

Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: It's Michael J. Fox. Need I say more?

Overall rating: A big thank you to Fox for sharing their experiences, memories, and musings with us readers. As someone who has a family member with PD and has seen how this disease worms its way into every part of life, every decision you make, I enjoyed listening to how Fox has taken everything on and not allowed, or at least tried to not allow, PD to be a deciding factor to their happiness but I did find that I needed to pace myself. This is not a bingeable book, at least not in the audio format.

'No Time Like the Future' is not one of my favorite memoirs that I've read. I do feel like someone was like 'Hey Michael, you should write a memoir!' and they just decided to write a stream of word vomit and personal thoughts on a life lived and a life worth living. 'No Time Like The Future' is not a straight-through storyline. While there's continuity because it's all about Fox and their life/experiences, and they do somewhat follow a linear move from past to present, this isn't a chapter-to-chapter story going through a specific timeline.

Reader's Note: If you choose to read it as an audiobook (which I did) it is narrated by the author. I found I needed to slow my typical reading speed down (normally a 1.75 girly) to a "normal" 1.00 speed due to the tone, intonation, and flow of Fox's narration.