The Bear Reads

a side blog to motivate me to read more 📚 I post reviews of what I've read

[thebearreadsstuff]

📚Reading Challenge!

Through out my reading journey I will only be reading books that are available at my local library.

More benefits using the library than Barnes and Noble or Amazon.

Also, I'm scared I'll spend money on a disappointment again. 😔

[thebearreadsstuff]

Current read: Can't Get Enough of the Duke by Lenora Bell

Its getting dangerously close to The Flowered Blade with some of its tropes but the characters are more bearable so let's see how this goes

[thebearreadsstuff]

I'm taking a break from fantasy for a hot minute, I keep getting let down 😔

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Book review #2: Bait-&-switch with a bullshit walking into the sunset ending.

Title: The Binding

Author: Bridget Collins

Genre: Fantasy

Published: April 9 2019

I had high hopes for this book. The first part was so good but then it hard-locked itself into a romance and gives little to no room to explore the universe of this book, it turned into a mere backdrop. The switch to romance in the middle leaves me with SEVERAL unanswered questions like the crusaders and how the MCs grandpa was one of them or whats the true relationship between Seredith and that other binder or if the MC reconciled with his family or not. Just too many unanswered questions

3/5 stars idk if I'd recommend this book but I can see how others might like it.

[thebearreadsstuff]

Current read: The Binding by Bridget Collins

Not even 100 pages in and my heart is pounding with anticipation!

Far superior than my last read!

[thebearreadsstuff]

On second thought... ☹️

[thebearreadsstuff]

Current read: The Binding by Bridget Collins

Not even 100 pages in and my heart is pounding with anticipation!

Far superior than my last read!

[thebearreadsstuff]

Book Review #1

The book that challenged me to only read books available at my library because I spent $5 on a disappointment

Title: The Flowered Blade

Author: Taylor Hubbard

Genre: Fantasy romance

Published: June 30 2024

Status: DNF

Characters: ⭐️⭐️☆☆☆

Plot: ⭐️⭐️☆☆☆

Writing Style: ⭐️☆☆☆☆

Worls Building: ⭐️☆☆☆☆

Pacing: ⭐️☆☆☆☆

Structure: ⭐️☆☆☆☆

Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️.5

Would I Recommend? No

What did this story invoke within me?

Confusion and frustration with how the characters behaved.

Brokil especially because he wants Silvyr to be obedient and quiet but gets upset when he does what he wants??

Silvyr has no backbone whatsoever. He would let Brokil fuck him not even 100 pages into the book before attempting to stand up to Brokil for being a prick to him. Brokil won't even say his name its just "boy" even while having sex its so degrading and Silvyr gave up escaping way to quick like damn okay one failed attempt and thats it?

Overall Takeaway

It has a show don't tell and world building problem. The book jumps straight to the action of Silvyr getting captured and gives the reader little to no time to really get into the world and how it works. Silvyrs back story is literally told to the reader explicitly in the first chapter. We're also introduced to a character that's supposed to be close to Silvyr but we don't hear about them again until later on in an exposition dump explaining why that character is supposed to be close to him. The spicy scenes all felt forced and unearned as well.

I feel like the reviews of this book were just happy they got trans representation and a lot of spicy scenes so they didn't bother to actually digest the book for what it is.

[thebearreadsstuff]

I forgot to mention that the editing is just ASS

Weird choice of words despite the setting of the story and straight up duplicate paragraphs in some chapters

Like brother you're on horseback wdym flight risk? Is there aerial transportation in this world?

[thebearreadsstuff]

Book Review #1

The book that challenged me to only read books available at my library because I spent $5 on a disappointment

Title: The Flowered Blade

Author: Taylor Hubbard

Genre: Fantasy romance

Published: June 30 2024

Status: DNF

Characters: ⭐️⭐️☆☆☆

Plot: ⭐️⭐️☆☆☆

Writing Style: ⭐️☆☆☆☆

Worls Building: ⭐️☆☆☆☆

Pacing: ⭐️☆☆☆☆

Structure: ⭐️☆☆☆☆

Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️.5

Would I Recommend? No

What did this story invoke within me?

Confusion and frustration with how the characters behaved.

Brokil especially because he wants Silvyr to be obedient and quiet but gets upset when he does what he wants??

Silvyr has no backbone whatsoever. He would let Brokil fuck him not even 100 pages into the book before attempting to stand up to Brokil for being a prick to him. Brokil won't even say his name its just "boy" even while having sex its so degrading and Silvyr gave up escaping way to quick like damn okay one failed attempt and thats it?

Overall Takeaway

It has a show don't tell and world building problem. The book jumps straight to the action of Silvyr getting captured and gives the reader little to no time to really get into the world and how it works. Silvyrs back story is literally told to the reader explicitly in the first chapter. We're also introduced to a character that's supposed to be close to Silvyr but we don't hear about them again until later on in an exposition dump explaining why that character is supposed to be close to him. The spicy scenes all felt forced and unearned as well.

I feel like the reviews of this book were just happy they got trans representation and a lot of spicy scenes so they didn't bother to actually digest the book for what it is.