🐺 Wolf Shunned - Laurel Night ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was better than I expected and yet, still less than what I hoped for. I enjoyed the FMC as a character, she was absolutely fantastic to have as a part of this group. She literally and figuratively kicked ass regularly and it was just nice to see. I particularly liked the fact that she wasn't unsure of herself and she didn't doubt how fantastic of a woman she was despite being somewhat of a social pariah within her pack.
The MMCs were okay. Emory was the best of the batch, but that may be only because we had more time with him before the other four were introduced. The other MMCs (Rowan, Stig, Mateo, and Taika) were pretty run of the mill as far as personalities goes. They just didn't really stand out from each other, except Rowan and he only stood apart because he kept referring to Kaliya as a bitch.
The pacing to this was fine enough. There is an overarching plot outside of the romance that is pretty interesting and when I wrapped up this, I really had planned on continuing the series if only because of that plot. However, I took a gander at the length of the rest of the books in the series, and I just cannot physically bring myself to read another 1200+ pages of this. Maybe in the future, but as of right now, this was an okay read but nothing that really held my interest for long.
🏡 House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I don't really know how to review this book. I started it because I was intrigued by the formatting and the promise of a creepy horror set as ergodic literature. And for the first 150 pages, I struggled to read it. I struggled to find any point to it. I was positive that at the very best, I would rate this 3 stars and never think of it again. In fact, there were several times that I seriously contemplated DNFing the book entirely and getting rid of it.
But I persisted. And when things started to actually turn, I found myself struggling to quit reading for the night. I couldn't stop thinking about House of Leaves even while I was trying to do other things. I dreamed about this book. It's pervasive and almost malignant in the ways that it wove into my life for the past 2 weeks. I can't describe the book with any kind of clarity and yet, I don't want to stop talking about it.
This is slow. It reads like a dissertation with a penchant for meandering. There are several storylines woven throughout this that end up killing the forward momentum because they are contained within footnotes and asides that take away from the "main" story of the Navidson Record. And even after all of that, I find that I wouldn't change a thing. This was exactly what it needed to be and it told the stories exactly as it should have.
🥩 Bound - Shona Knight ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This started out great but the longer that the FMC, Cherry, remained as a wolf, the less great it got. I understand the want to drag this out but after the amount of times that the MMCs called her good girl and pet her head and belly and were unable to have an actual conversation with her, the longer it just felt like weird lit where 5 guys started falling in romantic love with a dog.
I liked the characters. I really did think that they all worked well together, but Cherry was a wolf through this. Yes, she had human-like tendencies (crying tears, responding to questions, etc) but there was no way to have a conversation and so their romance feels… weirdly close to beastiality. The only real saving grace is that the MMCs never lust after the wolf.
The pacing to this works well. There are a lot of characters and Cherry has gone through a lot of trauma. I hate that she doesn't shift until the last few pages, but I am interested enough to continue the series. I really want to know if the supernatural town is real and if they actually make it.
🐍 Odd Interlude - Dean Koontz ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It's been a while since I picked up this series, and when I started this, I wasn't sure if I was going to be into it or if I was going to have to read the previous 4 books to remind me of everything. Thankfully, despite the 10 year gap, I never felt lost in who Odd Thomas was or what his mission was. That being said, this really is an interlude quest for Odd. A stop over in between bigger and worse things.
This was just a fantastic installment into an already awesome series. The writing is well done. The pacing is steady and fast enough to never feel like there's a lull. Odd does get a little cheesy at times but that's pretty typical for Koontz. It never detracts too much from the story or the characters. It's creepy and fun and at times, emotional. I cannot recommend this series enough.
☕️ Here and Now - Corinne Michaels ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
After reading several books from this author, I'm fairly confident in saying that Michaels could published her grocery list, and I would read and love it. Really, this was just such a great romance to jump into and it had everything that I love: an actual plot beyond the romance, characters that are well written, and a romance that is fully built up throughout the book.
The romance between Penelope and Miles was just sweet. I loved how well they worked as friends and even better as a couple. The dynamics were just so soft. Miles being relentless in his pursuit of Penelope never felt predatory or unwelcome. He was kind and never really pressured, he just kept asking since Penelope really never gave a solid answer. Penelope was so well written as well. I loved that she had valid reasons for not dating and while everyone around her tried to convince her otherwise, they didn't necessarily invalidate her feelings. Even the kid, Kai, was well done. He was 6-years-old, but never read as annoying or too young or old for the age.
The pacing worked well for the romance. The suspense part of the plot didn't really have the tension that I prefer. There weren't many threats throughout the book, just a looming maybe. The ending was fast paced but not incongruous with the rest of the book. Overall, another fantastic read from a fantastic author.
🐷 Odd Apocalypse - Dean Koontz ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Odd Thomas's adventures keep getting weirder, more horrifying, and more perilous, and while this series is definitely in the horror genre, the comedy within keeps it from being dour. That says a lot because there are multitudes of murdered women and plenty of threats to more throughout this book.
This was an excellent installment, if weirder than previous books. There's a lot more science being woven throughout the books and while it feels rooted in real science, we're no inundated in the hard facts to make it possible. It's well done and honestly pretty fun to have notable ghostly appearances. The pacing is fantastic through this. It's fairly nonstop with only little lulls for Odd to investigate the reason for his invitation to the billionaire's secretive mansion estate.
The characters are as always well written. Odd is goofy and well equipped to saving the world. Annamarie is the perfect platonic companion for him. I really enjoy that the wise yet vague woman is an 18 year old pregnant woman. The residents of the estate were wonderfully creepy and fit well with the locale. This was a great installment and I'm looking forward to continuing the series.
🐲 The Dragons' Healing Mate - Melissa Huxley ⭐️⭐️⭐️
It took me longer to get in the groove of this book compared to the first. I loved the first book despite my feelings that the MMCs were not deeply written. They just didn't really stand out from each other very well, other than Bastian but that's only because he was a standoffish asshole.
So I did excitedly start this only to realize that there just wasn't much that happens. The cliffhanger we are left with in book 1 is resolved almost immediately. It does seem to be a set up for more drama in the 3rd book and it causes some additional contention between Rowan and Bastian. But really, this entire book felt like a filer for the resolution that should come in the final book. The relationships also felt like there was only a slightly positive movement. Grey and Nix are fairly well settled in their feelings for Rowan. Orsen, too, has very few issues. Bastian is still reticent about a relationship with Rowan and we do find out the why's and there is some building there, but it's far too slow for the rest of the pacing and his reasons don't really work for me.
This has a slower pace but it's still really interesting and a fun read. I want to continue with the series because there's so much building up to a resolution. I just don't want to be let down any further.
🐕 Deeply Odd - Dean Koontz ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This series is just the perfect blend of cheesy comedy, heavy emotions, and fantastical horror. This installment felt more like a final ramp up before the big finale, which it essentially is. There seemed to be far more eluding to what will happen in Saint Odd. It didn't hurt this particular story, this is still a 4 star read for me. Most of that falls to the fact that Odd Thomas is a fantastically goofy character who's well written and fun to follow through the story. The new side characters that were introduced to fit so well with the story, both those that helped and those that hurt.
The pacing to this was nonstop fast. It worked well considering the danger that is given in this. I really did enjoy this book but not as much as previous installments. There just seemed something wanting about it.
🩺 Rough - Renee Rose & Vanessa Vale ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This would have been an excellent read and the best start to a paranormal romance series if it wasn't insta-love. I just don't really vibe with the romance trope because it always feels like the relationship building isn't done as thoroughly because of it. This had that problem in my opinion. Everything else about the book was great. I loved the characters we were introduced to, and with a little more time spent on building up the relationship, I would have absolutely loved Audrey and Boyd together.
Every issue I had with this really just fell to the fact that the relationship building fell flat. Audrey didn't seem very strong and independent because it took very little effort from Boyd to have her seduced and thinking about having a fling. And Boyd was so often telling himself that he was going to walk away from his mate all to come walking back in like the thought never crossed his mind. They both just came out as wishy-washy because of a fated mates trope coupled with insta-lust/insta-love.
The plot was great. I appreciated the slight suspense plot involving an unknown wolf and the creepy neighbor. It worked well, but it also felt just slightly unfinished. There just seemed to be more that could have been put in to it to ramp up the tension. Overall, it's a fine read. I might continue with the series to see if it gets better.
🦇 Saint Odd - Dean Koontz ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It is a rare phenomenon for me to read a series from start to finish and not have the enjoyment dim for me by the end. I don't know what to say about Saint Odd, truly. We got so much build up in the book before it, and from the start of the series, there was a foreshadowing that you would think would have prepared me for this.
This was the perfect ending to a series that has taken me 10 years to finish. It was fast paced and emotionally heart wrenching. It brought back characters that we had met in the first book and revisited so many of the hurts that we first got when we entered into the Odd Thomas series. Odd was so much older, at least in spirit, compared to his first introduction and the growth he had gone through as a character really shined in this.
I'm still sobbing. This was perfect.
🎸 Vipers and Virtuosos - Sav R. Miller ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sometimes you just want an absolutely unhinged bully/revenge romance. It's all fiction and that makes it just a fun feral ride. Nothing about the relationship between Riley and Aiden is healthy but I really enjoyed the character dynamics. This starts out (after the initial betrayal situation) pretty heavy on the dubious consent trope. There is one instance where Riley gives a half-hearted no and stop against Aiden but she doesn't really fight and her inner monologue is all about how she doesn't mean it. This is certainly a book to check the trigger warnings on.
The pacing is well done. We get several chapters to set up the "meet cute" followed by Aiden's increasingly obsessive revenge plot unfolding. Both of these characters were deluded and outrageous. They both were a match made in hell. I enjoyed this for what it was. It's not a sweet romance. I mean, the mad jizzed in her lotion and she didn't find out until a throwaway bonus chapter. It's a dark revenge romance. It works because it's fiction.
🌿 Moss'd in Space - Rebecca Thorne ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I don't particularly like the "cozy" subgenre in books. It usually equates to a plotless wander through nothing. And while this doesn't have a very action-filled plot, this does have some forward momentum that compels you to keep reading. I had a great time reading this. It was certainly a cozy read. There is some relationship tension and some light angst between Torian and her past love interest Amelia. The real angst comes from Moss and their abandonment issues.
I really enjoyed the characters. This is mostly a character driven plot and it was nice to see that each of the characters we are introduced to had uniquely written personalities and plenty of growth throughout this. The relationship tension between Torian and Amelia didn't really make sense. It mostly stemmed from not communicating.
This is a slower paced book. It works well to build up the characters and the locations. It ends on a cliffhanger and a promise for a sequel. I look forward to continuing just for the fact that Moss was a top tier character.
👸🏼 The Princess Knight - Cait Jacobs ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It took me so long to actually start this because I know what the plot to Legally Blonde is and while I love that movie so much, I also hate the fact that the FMC does everything to go after a man. So I finally started it and I really did enjoy it once Clía started to let it sink in that Domhnall was a thoughtless jerk.
I liked the relationship we got with Clía and Ronan. They definitely read their ages (late-teens) but they worked well as characters. Clía definitely came off much like Elle Woods, and it worked for her character in this. She wasn't great at everything. She didn't have any innate ability that made her the best at anything, but she certainly persisted. This isn't a slow burn relationship by any means. The romance isn't very fast paced but there are kisses and emotions happening right around the 50% mark which is typical for a romance.
The pacing to this is a little slow. It's not painfully so but nothing about this really moves fast. The characters are well written. The romance is sweet. This is definitely a young adult romantasy and at times, it reads a little juvenile. I really enjoyed it regardless.
🌷 Erik's Salvation - Nyssa Kathryn ⭐️⭐️
I don't know. I was really into this for the first 60-70 pages and then it all just started falling apart for me. I liked the characters, Hannah and Erik. They were well introduced and compelling enough to want to continue, but as soon as Erik started interacting with Hannah and the hot and cold he started with began, I just lost all real interest.
Erik being a grump and having a sharp tongue wouldn't have been an issue if he wasn't nice in between and just as frequently as his insults. And Hannah still kept coming around him. Every time he was rude, she would tell him she wouldn't bother him again and then the next day she was right back there wanting to be around the dick. It made her look spineless and him look like a douche. They lost all appeal after the second round of that nonsense.
The plot was fine enough. The pacing was weird compared to the relationship "building." There were just so many things going on and it left me feeling mentally exhausted because there just wasn't a break to breathe and let the characters have a moment. So the characters had a really unappealing relationship that didn't have any time feel built up in between every suspense plot event that kept happening.
🐺 Silence Fallen - Patricia Briggs ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I'm pretty sure every book in this series is just going to be fantastic. While this plot didn't feel as emotionally heavy as previous books, we got several chapters in Adam's POV and honestly, it's just really nice to hear Adam's devotion to Mercy right from his mind. That was the absolutely best part of this since so much time was spent with Adam.
I liked this plot line a lot. Without giving too much away, because there really was so much going on, we spend most of this book out of the US with Mercy separated from everyone, including Adam. It gives a change of scenery without changing the tone of the series all that much. Mercy is still shrouded in impenetrable plot armor (which I appreciate) and Adam and Mercy are very much in love and solid together. This is more of a vampire-centric story and Mercy has a lot to go through. I enjoyed the more nuanced politics and the plot twist was done well.
The pacing to this starts off with a bang (literally) and it stays pretty fast throughout. It's really benefited by the fact that we jump around in POVs and timelines. I'm just really in love with this series.
🌳 Burn Bright - Patricia Briggs ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I've got to be completely honest, this would have been yet another perfect book to this series if we had not had the conversation about Bran and Mercy. I really like Bran as a character because he's got such a dichotomous personality. He's the strong but indescript leader who would do anything for the safety of werewolves as a whole, and he's the father figure to Mercy who tried so hard to reign in the coyote chaos. So when Charles and Anna have a conversation and it's spelled out that while Mercy only thinks of Bran as a father, Bran might have thought of her in a more… gross sense, it not only didn't fit, but it felt so disgustingly forced.
Everything else about this book was great, and if we had gone in almost any other direction to make Leah a more sympathetic character and give her some kind of redemption, I would have been behind it. But disguising Leah's hatred towards Mercy as jealousy is gross.
The pacing to this is fantastic. I love Anna and Charles. I loved the plot and the twist. I really wasn't expecting it. I just hated that conversation so much that it really killed the vibes entirely. Obviously, I'm continuing with the Mercy Thompson world. I will pretend that this conversation had never happened.
