I’m sorry to say it, I am generally a big fan of Hilton’s other works and find them endearing rather than over-the-top, but for some reason, this one just did not do it for me! And I was excited because I’m really in to birding! 

I think what really worked with the Dangerous Damsels series was the juxtaposition between the life of a pirate and the life of a Victorian lady. Like, the ladies calmly drinking tea while shooting cannons at each others flying houses? Hilarious and fun. The idea of ornithologists pointing guns and fighting just doesn’t quite pack the same punch! 

This book is just as quippy and punny, with a play on words or a tongue-in-cheek moment every other sentence, but again, the subject matter just made it seem less engaging. The attempt at making interesting magical birds was there, but they just kind of fell flat and felt like a side-show to the main story of the characters falling in love. What I liked about the other series was that the action (though silly) felt just as important as the romance, and I didn’t feel that way for this one. That being said, I still had fun reading this and positivity flew through reading it (there, a bird pun!). 

Oh well, tally ho, and I am still looking forward to her next books! 

This could have been really great! The potential for greatness is off the charts, the idea of someone yanked from time, a person assigned to help them adjust, a mystery and murders tossed in for fun—it all sounds so great! But unfortunately, it just did not come together for me. 

I’m very interested in the doomed final voyage of the Terror, so I was tickled to learn that our main character was plucked from that time, but even with that thrown in, I just couldn’t care. His character felt complex and compelling, and I loved seeing his interactions with the other “expats” from time, but that felt more “slice of life” vs the whole “spy thriller” book I wanted and expected. 

I think the issue was our heroine—she wasn’t likable, and her little insights into her own past felt awkward and out of place. The writing style felt especially clunky around those scenes too, and really drew attention to the choppiness of the story. I feel like nothing important happened until the final third, and by that point it just felt thrown together and random.

I think this would have been better if it was clearly a thriller from the start, with the slice of life moments cut back to be side-scenes, or just been a little “coming of age” type story for our heroine, where she comes to know herself through interacting with people from another era. The weird combo just didn’t work for me. 

Tight little crime novel, and exciting from start to finish! I loved the nursery rhyme, and the corresponding deaths for each little description. This book sped right along, and I can see why it’s a classic. The names in the beginning were a bit hard to keep straight, but quickly became clear, and then it was just a sprint to the finish line. 

I want Toadling to be my best friend! 

This was such an enchanting mix of mystery and heartbreak and fantasy! Toadling was just the loveliest character, and I want to wrap her up in some soft moss and keep her in my backyard forever!! I have a soft spot for characters that are just sort of victims of their circumstances, but choose to be good anyway. She suffered so much but she is so good!! And I love her! And I guess the knight was okay too but I think people should read this for little Toadling! 

Well, I finally did it! I’ve tried reading this several times, and always eventually just got distracted and left it without coming back. But this time I made it! 

The most interesting part of this book was noticing all the little things that have made it into popular culture. I knew some of the little things that were references to Dracula in different movies and things, but not quite the extent of it! Honestly every other chapter I was like “ohhh, that’s where that comes from!” or “ohhh, this show is a reference to this scene!”. So that was really cool! 

I will say, the book itself just is too long. The story is good, and I liked the characters, but it felt like it dragged. It could have been cut down (but then again, would it have had all the same cultural impacts if it was cut back? who knows!). I had to force myself to finish (and I’m glad I did!). 

This is one of those books where you just kind of have to say “this is going to be cringey af and I am going to choose to like it anyway”. And I did! 

So this book is the basis for the movie “The Watchers” NOT the movie “The Watcher”. That was my mistake (but in my defense—come on), so this isn’t at all what I expected. 

I liked this book, but didn’t love it. The premise of the book (a forest you can’t leave, otherworldly creatures haunting it trying to kill you, mysterious people you have to team up with) has been done a million times—and I like it every time! But in this case, it just felt slightly awkward. You can tell it’s their first novel, it’s just a little disjointed and the characterizations slightly off, but it was still enjoyable enough. 

This is what romantasy should be!! Fun magic systems, enemies to lovers, unique settings, and idiots not realizing they’re in love! 

I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, I mean, I just ate it up. The magic is simple but great, and I’m a sucker for a good winter setting in a novel, I think it really heightens the feeling of magic and “otherness”. I loved the main characters, even though poor Storm could not catch a fucking break throughout the whole book. I love them and I want more!