Heart of Thorns by Bree Barton ***** - I have read Heart of Thorns before and didn’t continue the series because Tears of Frost still had quite a while to be released but I never returned to it. Once I got approved for the Soul of Cinders blog tour, it was the perfect time to re-read this book and read Tears of Frost. From what I can remember we follow Mia Rose who hunts Gwyrach who are women who can manipulate flesh, bones, breath, and blood alongside her father before a lot of political intrigue and romance happen. I can remember loving it so I couldn’t wait to get into this book all over again. We learn that Mia has been promised as the bride of Prince Quin by her father which is something she hates as she has been trained to be a Huntress and wants to marry for love. However, the only alternative is offering up her sister, Angelyne which is something Mia just won’t do so she seems resigned to an unhappy life with Prince Quin. This upsets Mia for more than one reason as she has always wanted to hunt down the Gwyrach that killed her mother and the kingdom of Glad Ddir isn’t safe for girls and women as all are suspected on being Gwyrach and are treated terribly especially by the King. King Ronan takes sick pleasure in torturing Gwyrach and cutting off their hands for display in the Hall of Hands. On the eve of the wedding, Mia’s father presents her with her mother’s journal and the ruby wren necklace which opens it, but when she does all the pages are blank.
The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss by Amy Noelle Parks DNF - I didn’t know much about The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost Kiss other than it follows best friends Evie Beckham and Caleb Covic through their first loves and the almost kisses which is also told in dual perspectives which sounded like the fun and light-hearted read I need right now. The novel opens with Caleb’s perspective, he attends Newton Academy, a selective boarding school for maths and science with his best friends Leo and Evie while he is currently denying the fact he is in love with Evie. From Caleb we learn that Evie has no interest in dating and doesn’t appear to understand when she is being asked out and only admits (to himself) that he is love with her when Leo asks him to put in a good word with Evie. We then switch to Evie’s perspective. Evie is someone I instantly related to her with her anxiety issues and almost borderline OCD but it seems to come with the territory of being a genius level student. Evie is currently in therapy for these issues and is advised to make more friends that just Caleb and Bex since they will be leaving for college soon and some friends grow apart as they get older, although Evie is adamant that this isn’t going to happen to her and Caleb. For the rest of this opening part, we are just introduced to the main side characters and their relationships to Caleb and Evie and we are also presented with the idea of Frontier which is a competition for the students to win acceptances and scholarships to the best colleges. Evie has been chosen for Frontier before but due to her anxiety she couldn’t do the presentation required but Caleb is trying to convince her to apply this year since she has been doing much better.
Tears of Frost by Bree Barton ** - After the dramatic showdown between Ange and Mia at the end of Heart of Thorns, I couldn’t wait to jump into Tears of Frost straight away. The opening of Tears of Frost refers to something called the Weeping Moon and we are counting down to it, but this is overshadowed by the letter from Ange to her sister who has awakened informing her she is being hunted by Zaga and other Dujia in order to bring her back to the river kingdom, whether this refers to Mia isn’t yet known but we jump to Pilar who is heading for the Ice Kingdom and is being tracked by several men, but she is hunting them, however, she intervenes when the men capture Quin and frees him, she also offers for him to come with her to the Ice Kingdom as they are both fugitives. This opening was far more gripping that the opening of Heart of Thorns and I can’t wait to see what happens. Pilar and Quin spends almost a week travelling to the border of the Ice Kingdom where we learn how far the River Kingdom has fallen under Zaga and Ange, at this point in time Mia is considered dead by everyone and no one seems to know about her mother’s revival. Pilar is heading to the Ice Kingdom, seeking a famous assassin of Dujia known as Snow Wolf in order to learn how to kill her mother and Ange without her magic as she has turned her back on it. Quin was surprising though as he is travelling to seek the help of the Snow Queen in order to save Dom who is the only person, he has left that he truly cares about and he had to leave him behind. By the time they reach the border Pilar has been training Quin to fight when they hear music which is something both Pilar and Quin greatly value and while Quin is suspicious, Pilar has to know who the player is.
Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare ***** - After the emotionally devastating ending of Clockwork Prince, I couldn’t wait to see what the final instalment had for me. It is my first time reading this book in the series and despite being spoiled for a few things I was still excited to see where the story goes and final uncover what Tessa is once and for all. Clockwork Princess opens with a flashback to Aloysius Starkweather and his granddaughter, the same one who died but I am not so sure about it now as I have many theories about Tessa’s origins and the fact, she might be Aloysius’ granddaughter is one of them. That theory doesn’t seem likely as we see Adele’s Marking Ceremony where she receives her first rune but it doesn’t go to plan as it causes her agony meaning she isn’t strong enough to take them which usually leads to death or the person becoming one of the Forsaken. We also get to see the first time Will and Jem meet at twelve years old and it made me love Jem even more than I already do. When we re-join our characters, we see Tessa being fitted for her wedding dress when Gabriel Lightwood turns up covered in blood. They manage to learn that Benedict Lightwood has transformed into a demonic worm and killed all the servants but Gabriel managed to escape. Now, everyone bar Charlotte and Sophie are heading to the Lightwood estate to deal with Benedict. We can see that Will and Tessa don’t interact unless they have to and he treats Cecily the same way but he does want to protect her despite her insistence that he contact their parents despite it being against the Law. The group deal with the worm but it gives them a run for their money but surprisingly it is Cecily who manages to deal the worst blow but this is completely overshadowed when Jem collapses. Despite his gruff behaviour we do see that Will cares for his sister and he is worried about her but he isn’t the only one that has eyes on Cecily, it seems Gabriel Lightwood does too.
Hold Back the Tide by Melinda Salisbury *** - I have read and liked Salisbury’s other books including the Sin Eater’s Daughter but I didn’t know anything about Hold Back the Tide. We are introduced to Alva Douglas as she recites the rules for living with a murderer and we don’t understand why she is telling us this until we are introduced to her father, Lachlan Douglas. The Douglas family are the keepers of the loch and are charged with tending to it as the mill in the village, the source of the village’s income depends on the loch for its water supply. Alva has been helping her father since she was little in the duties that the keeper’s have but lately more and more has fallen to her while her father has neglected to inform the villagers that the loch level is dropping which could spell disaster for the mill. However, this isn’t what is interesting, what’s interesting is that Alva’s father murderer her mother but there wasn’t enough evidence to convict him so he walked free but she knows the truth and has been putting a plan together to run away as soon as she can which doesn’t seem like it is far away. She gets help from her friend, Murren “Ren” Ross who gets items that she needs without her father knowing about them. While this opening was interesting and I was struggling to place the timeframe as some things make the book seem almost historical like flintlock pistols but other things seem quite modern in comparison so I hope that will be cleared up soon. Alva is also becoming more suspicious of her father and feels that he knows her plans when a net is damaged but not by an animal or weather, to Alva it seems like the net was cut with a knife but she says nothing as she doesn’t want her father to know what she knows.
The Whitechapel Fiend by Cassandra Clare & Maureen Johnson **** - All I knew about the Whitechapel Fiend is that it is a story told in the City of Bones timeline where Simon learns the truth about Jack the Ripper who was stopped by our boy, Will Herondale. This story begins with Simon training at the Shadowhunter Academy alongside both Shadowhunter children and those mundanes wanting to become Shadowhunters. Simon has lost his memory in an attempt to save his friends and is trying to rebuild his life although he is struggling with his relationship with Isabelle and Jace is trying to be a friend but it isn’t really helping the situation. During their history lecture, the students are greeted to a guest lecture by Tessa Gray who is telling the true story behind Jack the Ripper at the time she was known as Tessa Herondale and if you remember the Mortal Instruments series, then we know that Jace and Will are related in some sense as they are both Herondales. We then jump back to 1888 where we join the cast of the Infernal Devices for the truth behind Jack the Ripper.
Nothing but Shadows by Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan ***** - When I learnt that this story was going to follow only on Simon and Jace’s time at the Shadowhunter Academy but that of James Herondale, Tessa, and Will’s oldest child I was so excited as we meet him as a toddler in The Whitechapel Fiend and it is a prelude to the Last Hours series which is my next series in the Shadowhunter universe. As James arrives at the Academy with his father, we get to see Christopher and Thomas Lightwood, the children of Gabriel and Gideon as well as Matthew Fairchild, Charlotte and Henry’s child who are all friends. This is an issue for James because despite looking like his father he is more like is mother, a quiet and shy child. He was hoping to become friends with the Lightwood boys but Matthew who is older and very confident has beaten him to it and we also know from the present timeline that Matthew and James didn’t really like each other at all. James is also hoping to find his parabatai at the Academy but I am excited to see how this progresses.
Cast Long Shadows by Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan ***** - This story follows Matthew Fairchild as he discovers the Shadow Market, it takes place some years forward from Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy as he and James Herondale are already parabatai but something happens at the Shadow Market that Matthew can’t tell anyone about and I was excited to dive in. The story opens in 1901 with Jem heading to the Shadow Market, a Downworlder market, on a mission and he happens to come across Matthew who seems right at home there among the Downworlders. We then jump back two years to 1899 when James is being expelled from the Shadowhunter Academy and we learn of a conversation between Matthew and Alastair Carstairs where Alastair makes the allegation that Matthew isn’t Henry’s child but the unclaimed child of Gideon Lightwood because of how close he is with Charlotte and how their appearance are similar which leads Matthew in a rage to blow up a wing of the Academy and get himself expelled but it was something that he could never forget and then we return to 1901.
Every Exquisite Thing by Cassandra Clare & Maureen Johnson ***** - We have seen a lot of the Fairchild’s, Lightwood’s and Herondale’s in these short stories but this is the first story where we get to see Anna Lightwood, the oldest child of Gabriel and Cecily as she is only briefly mentioned in Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy. I didn’t know much about the story but the synopsis mentioning that we see Anna’s doomed love story through Jem’s eyes was very intriguing and I couldn’t wait to see it unfold. We are introduced to Anna who feels much more comfortable imagining herself as a man even going to steal her brother’s old clothing than she does a woman. One night her parents are invited to dine with Inquisitor Bridgestock and his family including his adopted daughter, Ariadne who Anna feels an instant connection with and it seems that the connection is reciprocated but this is a time where being interested in the same sex or dressing opening in the clothing of the opposite gender was frowned upon and had some serious repercussions.
The Midnight Heir by Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan ***** - All I knew about this story in the Bane Chronicles is that it follows Magnus’ return to London and his meeting 16 year old James Herondale. Magnus meets James at a club here he has been taking dares from other patrons including Ragnor Fell, each seeming more dangerous than the last. Magnus follows James throughout the night although it prove difficult because of James’ ability to turn into a shadow but he managed it and even James passes out, Magnus returns him to the Institute and his parents. There they summon Jem where Magnus learns that James’ behaviour has been changing and not for the better and when he calls out for Grace in his sleep, Magnus realises that this girl might be behind the change in James’ behaviour and offers to hold his secrets but James isn’t willing to tell anyone about Grace.
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J R R Tolkien ***** - I am ashamed to say that despite loving both the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies I have never read any of the books, so I was excited and nervous to begin The Hobbit. I was surprised to find that the opening of the book which entailed Bilbo meeting Gandalf and the arrival of the company of 13 dwarves to his home was almost near identical to the movie. However, I was also surprised at the way the book it is written as it is almost written in the past tense with little interjections from the writer since this is meant to be Bilbo recounting his tale in the red book. Bilbo meeting the dwarves was just as entering in the movie although I was being to notice changes already, for example, Thorin isn’t as brooding in the book but he is still imposing and the famous grocer line was said by Gloin instead of Thorin but we see that the decision for Bilbo going on the adventure wasn’t even in question in the book as he was always going whereas it is a last minute decision for him in the movie.
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer **** - As many of you will know I have been working my through the series I either started and never finished as a child or those that I never read. Twilight is a series I never read when it was at the height of its popularity but I haven’t watched all the movies and liked them well enough. I am curious about this series as there are some people that say the books aren’t that much different to the movie and there are others who say the movies don’t encompass as much as the books and they definitely need to be read, so here I go. We are introduced to Isabella “Bella” Swan as she is moving from Phoenix to Forks to living with her father as things at home with her mother and step-father are complicated. Not because she doesn’t get along with them but because her step-father, Phil travels a lot and it makes her mother unhappy when she can’t go with him. For the first week Bella is sure that Forks isn’t going to a place where she can be happy and everything from the weather to the people seems to prove this to her at first until she catches sight of the Cullen family one afternoon. She and the ‘youngest’ boy Edward seem to get off to a bad start before they have even spoken to one another but he does speak to her another day after being off school for a while which surprises Bella. As it begins to snow in Forks, ice has piled up on the roads which is how Bella found herself staring down a truck that was going to crush her when Edward pulls her out of the way. Bella knows that Edward was no where near her despite him saying the opposite and she knows she saw him lift the van but Edward is correct when he tells Bella that no one will believe her even if it was the truth. All Bella’s reservations about staying in Forks have vanished as she becomes obsessed with solving the mystery that Edward Cullen is turning out to be. So far, the opening of Twilight has been quite enjoyable and we have also met one of my favourite characters in Doctor Carlisle Cullen.
The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller **** - I have read almost everything Tricia Levenseller has written with the exception of Daughter of the Siren Queen and Blade of Secrets (which is due to be published in 2021) so I was very excited to get into The Shadows Between Us. We are introduced to Alessandra and we see from the very beginning that this girl is ruthless and is willing to do anything as we can see when she stabs a boy called Hektor because he doesn’t love her the same way she loves him. We learn that Alessandra has taken many lovers which is against the law as ladies can’t have lovers until after they are married but she is smart and careful as she picks men that she can blackmail so they don’t say anything about their affairs. After her latest relationship ends after she rejects his proposal her father is trying to secure a match for her, now her older sister is getting married and Alessandra has her eyes set on the Shadow King. Her father is wary at first but agrees to take her to palace where she successfully captures the attention of the King and holds it as he gives her an invitiation to join him at court which she accepts. However, Alessandra doesn’t just want to marry him, she wants to marry him, then kill him and take his kingdom for her own but this is going to be a difficult job since the Shadow King is rumoured to have powers which can be seen in the shadows that constantly linger around him. The King is young and handsome but he is also intrigued with Alessandra as he sets her challenges without telling her, like setting his dog on her to see how she will react which is very differently to every other woman he has tried it on and I can’t wait to see what happens between the pair. However, everything might not go as easily as she planned as members of the King’s council approach her as they have heard some rumours about her which she tries to put down as it would blow everything if it were discovered that she had already taken several lovers and immediately tries to form some female friendship with Hestia and Rhoda which seems to work in her favour.
Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames ***** - I didn’t really know anything about Kings of the Wyld before going into other than it is a debut novel and Daniel Greene spoke highly of it on his YouTube channel, so I had to pick it up. We are introduced to Clay, a former member of the band known as Saga, a legendary mercenary band. However, Clay is older now with a wife, child and normal job, his adventuring days long behind him until his best friend and former band mate, Gabriel comes knocking. He tells Clay of his daughter, Rose who is more like him than he ever thought as he taught her to fight and she started a band of her own. However, Rose’s band was called to the city of Castia to fight against the Heartwyld Horde and will many were killed other are trapped in the city under siege. Gabriel wants to go after his daughter but in order to do that he needs to get the old band together again including Clay. Clay at first refuses as he doesn’t want to leave his own family but after learning his daughter, Tally overheard the conversation and she wants him to rescue Rose even as she is unaware of the consequences, Clay knows he has to go. He finds Gabriel and they set off to find the rest of their old band for one last journey across the Wyld. However, the first thing they need to do is get back the sword Gabriel sold, Vellichor which he got from Archon who used it to create a path between worlds and here we get some backstory on the world of the Wyld but it doesn’t make too much sense yet but it seems that like Blackheart, a shield belonging to Clay each band member might have a weapon or item that belongs to them that they will need for the journey. However, I don’t think getting the band back together is going to be easy as they first need to get the sword from Kal their old booker as well as retrieve, Moog, Matrick, and Ganelon which isn’t going to be simple since one of their old band mates is now a King so they have their work cut out for them. As openings go it was interesting but it wasn’t very gripping but I am hoping that will pick up as the novel progresses which is often the case with fantasy novels.
The Fellowship of the Ring by J R R Tolkien *** - As I mentioned in my review of The Hobbit, I haven’t read any of these books despite loving all the films. The Fellowship of the Ring opens with a lot of information concerning Hobbits, this includes the history and origins of Hobbit kind, a brief recap of Bilbo’s adventures in The Hobbit and information on where the characters we are now following ended up after the War of the Ring. By the time the tale begins we learn that Bilbo is celebrated is 111th birthday and it is possible here to figure out how many years have passed since the end of The Hobbit. We know upon his return journey to the Shire Bilbo was 52 meaning that 59 years have passed since his trip with Thorin & Co. Bilbo is planning to leave the Shire once again and not to return this time as he has left everything to his nephew and adopted heir, Frodo. With the help of Gandalf, Bilbo throws one last birthday party as he shares his birthday with Frodo who is coming of age at 33 on the same day. That very evening Bilbo is gathering up the last of his things to go travelling with dwarves again, although they aren’t named. He is supposed to be leaving behind the ring he stole from Gollum for Frodo to keep safe but Bilbo is having trouble parting with it which leads to him and Gandalf getting into an argument but eventually Bilbo relents and is leaving the Shire. Over the next few days Frodo is left to deal with the crushing mass of their relatives alone until Gandalf arrives telling him that he too is also leaving earlier than planned as he has been wondering about the ring and has to find out what it is once and for all. Frodo takes Gandalf’s instruction not to wear the ring very seriously as both Frodo and us the readers presume the questions of the ring and its origins has been bugging Gandalf since Bilbo found the ring. While the opening to the movie is a very faithful adaptation to the source material it does play with the timeline as Frodo doesn’t see Gandalf for quite a long time after this whereas in the movie it seems like days have passed rather than years.
Soul of Cinders by Bree Barton DNF - Tears of Frost infuriated me as a book, it took forever for anything to happen and when it did it was a major middle finger to all the character work and development that was laid down in the first book. The only reason I decided to read the final book was to see if the series could redeem itself and because I have become very attached to Mia and Quin as characters and I wanted to see their arcs play out completely. The opening of Soul of Cinder was interesting as we see that Quin has escaped the avalanche that claimed Ange’s life and presumably the life of Freyja and Wynna as well and he is making his way home to the River Kingdom to reclaim his throne. Quin is determined to be a good and just king although he says himself if the Twisted Sisters (referring to Mia, Pilar, and Ange) return then he will kill them but I don’t think he has the stomach for it as he isn’t able to kill Tristan who tried to rape his sister as his magic knowns his true intentions.
Playing with Fire by April Henry ***** - I haven’t read anything by April Henry before but I have heard her name in the thriller community a few times and the synopsis of Playing with Fire was intriguing and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in. The opening of Playing with Fire starts at 6:22 P.M. where a young man called Jason seems to be disposing of a getaway vehicle by setting it on fire although it doesn’t go to plan as he quickly manages to start a forest fire. This opening was gripping and very interesting as it seems like this novel is going to take place over a very short amount of time. We are then introduced to Natalia and Wyatt, co-workers and friends as Wyatt has convinced Natalia to come hiking with him. In this short scene we learn that there are forest fires all around because of the drought and Natalia has been in a fire before leaving her leg quite scarred, so you can imagine their surprise and horror when the trial they need to go through in order to get home is consumed by fire. By 7:23 P.M. the fire has cut off the trial so Natalia and Wyatt head back to the waterfall to see if they can get some reception on their phones to call the emergency services as they know there are helicopters dealing with other fires in the area and they also informs other on the trial about the fire not knowing that one of them is actually the person that started the fire. Natalia is terrified at this situation as she was in a house fire as a child that claimed the life of her brother and honestly, I’m hooked.
Desperate Measures by Katee Robert ***** - I recently saw that Becca from Becca and the Books was planning to read Desperate Measures in 2021 and her explanation of Disney retelling but with smutty romances between the Princesses and the villain had me hooked. The first book is an Aladdin retelling and obviously follows Jasmine and Jafar which I was really excited to see. The opening chapter was gripping as we learn that Jasmine’s father has basically sold her to secure an alliance before he is betrayed by Jafar who know owns Jasmine. However, they have been playing a little game for a while it seems but now Jafar dares to touch her but he does give Jasmine a choice she can leave with freedom but without her inheritance or she came belong to him. While she wants to be free, the thought of being Jafar’s also doesn’t repel her in the way it should. Jafar even sweetens this deal and adds that if she can get to the front doors before, he catches her, he will let her leave with her inheritance in addition to her freedom and Jasmine takes the risk.
Learn my Lesson by Katee Robert *** - I loved Jasmine and Jafar’s story to kick off this series and damn was it good. However, I didn’t really like Meg or Hades as characters in that book but I was excited to see their relationship behind closed doors. This book opens a few months after Desperate Measures as Hades and Meg go out for dinner and Meg is thinking about how distant they have become lately despite over 10 years together and Hades doesn’t even seem to notice it. He wants her to play a game and while Meg definitely isn’t in the mood for it she knows it will keep the pain at bay for a while and agrees. Hades wants her to seduce one of the waiters and she knows something is up as Hades wouldn’t send her to just anyone and she knows there is some manipulation at play but she can’t deny she is attracted to the boy. She approaches the boy almost immediately and learns his name is Hercules, they chat for a while and during this time Meg assumes that Hercules is an innocent when we see from his perspective that he is but he isn’t. He is more innocent than Meg or Hades but he isn’t completely innocent as we see his thoughts and desire turn towards Meg and we see him give into that desire even though he knows it is something he shouldn’t be doing.
A Worthy Opponent by Katee Robert **** - All I knew about this instalment was that it follows Tink and Hook. We don’t know much about Hook as he has only appeared once or twice in the background but Tink we have got to know quite well through her interactions with Jasmine and Meg. Tink is one of my favourite characters as she is short, plus-sized, bratty, and endlessly witty and sarcastic. We have seen one small scene where she and Hook are together and she seems to verbally spar with him in a humorous way but I can’t wait to see more from them both. This book takes place about 2 months after Learn My Lesson as Tink’s contract has two months left in the previous book whereas she only has 2 days left now and Hades refuses to renew her contract unless she makes another deal but she has nothing to offer him. Hades isn’t doing this to be cruel in fact, it is the opposite as he knows Tink has been hiding in the Underworld for the past five years and she can’t do it forever. However, Jameson Hook makes her an offer that he will deal with her abusive ex, Peter if she agrees to marry him. Tink obviously refuses and she isn’t 100% sure whether Peter is going to come after her at all but she does fear it. These fears are confirmed when she has barely left the Underworld when Peter jumps her and begins dragging her off and she is no position to fight him, however, Hercules comes to her rescue and she knows in that moment that she has no choice but to accept Hook’s offer or be taken back by Peter where he might kill her or worse turn her into the girl, she was five years ago and Tink won’t stand for that.
The Two Towers by J R R Tolkien *** - At the end of Fellowship, we were left with Frodo and Sam going by themselves east to Mordor and leaving the rest of the fellowship behind to head west towards Gondor. I did notice here that there is a divergence between the book and movie as the Fellowship movie actually contains the opening few chapters of the Two Towers book where the first book just off just after Frodo and Sam leave the others to head to Mordor alone. The opening chapter of the Two Towers, The Departure of Boromir, is a scene from the movie that made me cry. The Two Towers opens with Boromir’s death which takes place in a completely different way to the movie as he alone is ambushed by the orcs while the other have split up to look for Frodo, but the time Aragorn hears Boromir’s horn and arrives the orcs have fled, Merry and Pippin are now missing in addition to Frodo and Sam and Boromir is dying. He confesses he tries to take the ring from Frodo and that the hobbits have been captured before he dies but he doesn’t tell Aragorn is Frodo and Sam are with them. By the time Legolas and Gimli arrive Boromir is dead and they try to piece together what has happened. They eventually come to the conclusion that Frodo and Sam have set out for Mordor alone and that they have to go after Merry and Pippin as they can’t abandon their friends. For the next three nights they track the orcs almost not stop into Rohan where they come across the Rohirrim who have killed most of the orcs, although their leader Eomer says that they didn’t see any hobbits with the orcs. Eomer lets them leave with horses despite it being against their law as they should have been taken to King Theoden and asks them to return when they can and Aragorn agrees. They track the orcs a little further and come to the conclusion that these orcs must be heading to Isengard but they are warned that some of the orcs are regular orcs and we know these to be the Uruk-Hai.
The Beast by Katee Robert ***** - As I mentioned in my review of A Worthy Opponent, we get a lot of context in that book about this one. What we know so far is this book follow Gaeton, Beast and Isabelle. Through Tink and Hook in the previous book we learn that both Gaeton and Beast wanted Isabelle and were in a relationship until she chose one of the them and she couldn’t which is why they aren’t together and it would also explain the very volatile and violent interactions between Beast and Gaeton. However, we know Gaeton is still in love with her especially after her father’s death The Man in Black, who was also like a father to Gaeton and Beast. We also know Gaeton and Beast have worked enough out between them to not be ripping chunks out of each other when they are in the same room, however, I have a feeling I am not going to like Isabelle as she seems really selfish. If she knew both Gaeton and Beast wanted her and she knew she wasn’t going to be able to choose between them then it was right or fair for her to enter into a relationship with either of them. I am still giving this book a chance because from what I’ve seen of Gaeton I have a feeling I am only going to love him more in this book. Here, we learn that Isabelle needs Gaeton and Beast to resume their positions as generals of the territory as losing both her father and them has made them appear weak. However, during this conversation Beast notices Isabelle submissive nature despite them all only have a vanilla relationship before and agrees for both of them to come back if she becomes their sub for two weeks and at the end of that period, she has to choose one of them to be with despite her almost clearly stating she wants both of them.
Fully Alive by Michael J. Surdyka **** - When the author of Fully Alive reached out to me to review his book, I was torn. I don’t normally read non-fiction but this sounded really interesting. Much like my other non-fiction reviews, this is going to be short and to the point as I will be detailing my thoughts during the reading experience and whether I think this book has any practical value. From the introduction and preface alone, I was able to tell that this was going to be a great book. Unlike most self-help where the author makes you feel that they are better than you, Surdyka makes you feel like he has been actually where you are as he has struggled with addiction himself. He also details the reasons why traditional methods for coping with addiction don’t work and how his book works and what it can do to help you. I really appreciated how Surdyka pointed out that many of the treatments for addiction are generalized and in order for treatment and recovery to be long-lasting and effective, it needs to be personalised as everyone has different motivations for wanting to beat their addiction and they have different root causes for their addiction which need to be focused on and that can’t happen with traditional methods.
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