I have no idea what I just read. It felt like it wanted to be both an angsty romance and a fun, banter-filled romance (which COULD mesh well, but in tI have no idea what I just read. It felt like it wanted to be both an angsty romance and a fun, banter-filled romance (which COULD mesh well, but in this book it did not), then by the end it wanted to be a mystery… honestly wasn’t that into this and but it ended in a cliffhanger so I might still read the sequel....more
OKAY. Okay. I have MANY thoughts. Not all are positive, but not all are negative, either. This book is an interesting read if you just take it at faceOKAY. Okay. I have MANY thoughts. Not all are positive, but not all are negative, either. This book is an interesting read if you just take it at face value. I'm leaving my series rating at a 3 for now until I can write a full series review.
General thoughts: ✅ Surprisingly very easy to read ❌ Poorly edited (though this book was self-published, so that makes sense) ✅ Interesting back story ✅ Actually made me THINK (both about the mystery aspect, and about politics and morals) ✅ Logan for the first 4 books <33333 ❓ Logan at the end ❓ Lana ✅ We finally have a couple where the flirting between them was so clear and straightforward (no beating around the bush!) ✅ Distinct side characters ❓ The ending ❌ The reveal for the original killer felt kind of random ❌ This little detail at the end:(view spoiler)[Having Josh and Hadley be threesome enjoyers just because they were bisexual felt so weird and toxic (bc it also felt so out-of-character for them, i.e., it felt forced just bc of the stereotype).(hide spoiler)]
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First chapter's already making me question MY morals...more
This book was SHOCKINGLY messy and boring. 2 stars because I didn't necessarily want to chuck my book out the window and I've read worse. Are the sequThis book was SHOCKINGLY messy and boring. 2 stars because I didn't necessarily want to chuck my book out the window and I've read worse. Are the sequels worth reading? Please advise.
❌ None of the characters were interesting (and there were A LOT of characters) except for maybe Cook ❌ World-building was lazy ❌ So many things happened but none of them seemed relevant to the story until the last act ❌ There were two love triangles--TWO! ❌ Used rape as a plot device!! ❌ Men belong in jail AKA misogyny is also used as a plot device
Also, can someone explain that scene where(view spoiler)[Elias and Helene were on the edge of a cliff and roped to each other(hide spoiler)]bc I didn't get the logistics of how that went down.
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50%:I fear I'm no longer part of this book's target audience....more
I was betting my soul on this book. Unfortunately, there really isn’t anything positive I can say about it.The two-starFiled under:porn-without-plot
I was betting my soul on this book. Unfortunately, there really isn’t anything positive I can say about it.The two-star rating? Those are pity stars....more
Okay, I didn'thatethis. In fact, I kind of liked it and would probably give it 3 stars if I was going to base my rating off ~emotions~ alone. HoweveOkay, I didn'thatethis. In fact, I kind of liked it and would probably give it 3 stars if I was going to base my rating off ~emotions~ alone. However, I would feel bad giving this a higher rating bc it felt super toxic. I don't think the main issue was handled very well.
Also, I will not be reading the sequel bc(view spoiler)[I was PISSED that the author killed off a perfectly great side character to use him as a plot device! Justice for Brandon!!(hide spoiler)]...more
JAIL!As a joke, I started highlighting the scenes that made mephysicallyroll my eyes... and I got to 33 highlights. I'm surprised my eyeballs havenJAIL!As a joke, I started highlighting the scenes that made mephysicallyroll my eyes... and I got to 33 highlights. I'm surprised my eyeballs haven't completely rolled to the back of my head. Honestly, I was prepared for this book to just be hilariously bad, i.e., I really just wanted to read it for the shits and giggles. Do I regret it? Absolutely. I want to douse my entire soul in bleach.
I don't even know where to begin. I guess let's start with the aspect that made me less angry than the other --the plot.And that's not to say that I liked the plot... Ihatedit. The story was incredibly unrealistic, and the twists were so predictable. But it doesn't matter how crazy the random murder mystery ended up being (which, for the record, I did NOT sign up for a muder mystery), resolutions all came really easy to the main characters because of howwell connectedandfilthy richthe ML is. Also one of the FL's best friends is a literal princess.Truly, the story was just so unserious.I don't understand how people can read this unironically.
So what was this book, really? Was it a romance? Nothing about this was romantic. Was it a mystery? Not really. Everything was already right in front of your face. Was it dark? Sure. It was totally unhinged and a lot of people should have ended up in prison.
Okay. Time to rip off the bandaid and discuss...the characters.Ava and her friends were supposed to be in college, but they spoke and acted like teenagers. All of them were very one dimensional and were just super forgettable. Any of the four of them could have been the main lead and the story would have been exactly the same.
Alex Volkov gets a special section dedicated all to him, just like he has a special place in hell.First of all — Alex is such a side character name (I'm sorry to all the Alexes out there! I love your name, but you know what I mean...more
I mostly justlikedeverything, but didn't reallyloveanything. The characters were very caricature-y (which is a given bc this book's literally callI mostly justlikedeverything, but didn't reallyloveanything. The characters were very caricature-y (which is a given bc this book's literally calledBook Lovers,duh), so it was hard to get attached to anyone. Still pretty cute, though. I get why everyone loves this.
I feel as though I read a rough draft rather than a completed novel.Rules for Rule Breakinghad all the right variables that could have made it a speI feel as though I read a rough draft rather than a completed novel.Rules for Rule Breakinghad all the right variables that could have made it a spectacular read, but nothing was really explored in depth.
Bobby and Winter are both incredibly relatable characters. I think they accurately represent the more traditional Asian families. They had a lot of thoughts and feelings that I could relate to, from things like Bobby being ashamed of not knowing how to speak Korean, to Winter pretending that everything comes easy to her when in fact she works so hard. Definitely appreciated them.
Now the story is where the low rating comes from. The story was incredibly shallow. There were a lot of themes that could have been explored — culture, family, friendships, responsibility, society — but everything took a backseat to the romance. Normally, I'd be okay with a romance-forward, mindless read, but it seems like a waste to have all of these themes right in front of you, only to have them not be extensively discussed.
This wasn't one of the worst YA contemporaries I've read (it's definitely notbad,either), but there was definitely a lot of wasted potential in this. I just wanted it to be more than what it was....more
Here's what I imagine happened: I believe that Rebecca Yarros wanted to write an edgy fantasy book with dragons targeted for a YA audience. She probabHere's what I imagine happened: I believe that Rebecca Yarros wanted to write an edgy fantasy book with dragons targeted for a YA audience. She probably had a word cloud of ideas and no actual details prepared. Fine, maybe there was a rough outline. Her characters were written on the fly, but she knew she wanted a heroine who was not like the other girls. In 2023, she finally decided that it was time to publish her book... but it was missing something... ah,spiceis getting really big in the book world. She went back to make her characters adults and made them super horny. And BAM,Fourth Wingwas born. ✨
THERE WILL BE SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ONWARDS!
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Do you want to read a book about a bunch of adults (who act and speak like horny teenagers) running around trying to kill each other?
Maybe you do, and I don't blame you because that honestly sounds like a fun time. But personally, I need one basic question answered before I can enjoy this kind of plot:WHYare they trying to kill each other?
In the case ofFourth Wing,there is no point. This book supposedly features the best, the brightest, and the toughestkidsadults (I'm going to have a problem with this) going through the dragon riders' quadrant of the Big Bad War College™.This is allegedly the most revered sector of the college, and those who are admitted here are trained in magic and eventually go to war... which is why it makes absolutely NO SENSE why it would be okay for the students to murder each other and lessen their work force.It's so dumb.
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This book features the laziest world-building I've ever encountered. It's wild.
Despite this being the most covetted quadrant,they waste space by conscripting the rebel kids (children of those part of some previous big rebellion I can't remember) into it, who theysupposedly do not trust,where they'll be given access to dragons and magic?Make it make sense! Why not give them manual labor jobs if they can't be trusted? Why give them positions that everyone else wants to have?
And yeah, despite everyone supposedly having trained for years to get into this quadrant,nobody seems to know anything about it!The students talk about dragons, dragon riders and the quadrant in ways that make them sound so unsure about everything.If you're willing to risk your life to get in here, shouldn't you have done reseach? Or, if this was such a popular quadrant, shouldn't all of these things be common knowledge? A few examples:
“Plus,I've heard thatriders are allowed to marry sooner than the other quadrants,” Dylan adds.
“True. Right after graduation.” If we survive. “I thinkit has something to do with wanting to continue bloodlines.” Most successful riders are legacies.
“I overhead a third-year saywhen a first-year survives Threshing unbonded, the quadrant lets them repeat the year and try again if they want.”
I study the map. The Esben Mountain Range is the highest along our eastern border with Braevick, making it the least likely place for an attack, especially since gryphons don't tolerate altitude nearly as well as dragons,probably due to the factthat they're half-lion, half-eagle and can't handle the thinner air at altitudes.
The author also opts out of ever attempting to explain anything the dragons do.Whenever someone has a perfectly reasonable question about the dragons, the response is always just about "respecting one's life" because if they try to ask, the dragons will kill them? (Again,why?) Anyway, this is just an excuse on the author's part because she doesn't want to think of a reasonable response....more
This book is fanfiction of the general omegaverse + vamp world.The more I think about this book, the more I hate it. I think that means that I shouldThis book is fanfiction of the general omegaverse + vamp world.The more I think about this book, the more I hate it. I think that means that I should just stop thinking about it... but here's a quick review anyway!
It would be fuckingdevastatingto find out that you're NOT a legal citizen of the country you've known to be your home for more than a decade of yourIt would be fuckingdevastatingto find out that you're NOT a legal citizen of the country you've known to be your home for more than a decade of your life. I don't know anything about immigration aside from the general it's-WAY-deeper-than-it-seems observation, plus a few stories from family who have experienced theprocessof it all.
Jimena Ramos's, the MC inJust Say Yes,head basically explodes when she finds out that she's undocumented. She thinks (and does) things that seem kind of insane, but given her situation, my train of thought would probably be similar to hers.I appreciated how she very much came off as a teen in distress (which is what we were promised!),though this made her not-so-likeable at times. She gets a free pass for the most part, though.
The other characters are pretty alright, and they acted in ways that I found to be realistic given the situation. Vitaly's sweet and sympathetic -- he was a great love interest for Jimena. We also have Blue, who's passionate and firm, who shows Jimena the political side of things.
I did like this book for what it was. Did I wish that it were even deeper and more mature? Sure. But it was a nice read overall if you're looking for something short and sweet but also political. (Oh, and another minus one star for the ending. It was way too rushed and incomplete, IMO. Otherwise a good read!)...more
Now, I know it sounds like a good thing to have a jam-packed story, BUT HEAR ME OUT. I think what ended up happening here was that the author focused too much on incorporating as many events as possible into the story thatshe wasn't able to give any attention to the other aspects that should have driven the story forward, such as the characters and the world-building.I'm just going to give a brief rundown of what worked and what didn't.
WHAT I LIKED
⭐ I did appreciate the story for what it was. If you're into adventure- or quest-type stories, then you might enjoy this one. A LOT definitely went on, and it was nice to have a little taste of different mythical creatures and scenarios as the story progressed.
⭐ The general idea of the characters -- a big YES for me. I love myself a cast of characters with completely different backgrounds.The Night Huntalready gets bonus points for giving us monster girls and boys alone, despite their lack of personalities -- which brings me to the things I didn't like...
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
⭐ Good god were these characters super dry. The main characters felt like they were written for a much younger audience (or this could be a sign of aging for me) with their insta-love and cringe-y banter. I couldn't differentiate any of the side characters, and they were too conveniently thrown into the mix. I.e., there really isn't a lot of character development.
⭐ There was little to no world-building. The authortriedto incorporate some, but it was done... not-so gracefully. I can't tell youanythingabout this world, because I amstillconfused about all of it.
⭐ The writing style was just NOT for me. It came off very juvenile sounding. I might have appreciated this book more if it was marketed to a younger audience, but given how dark this was supposed to be, I expected a LOT more maturity from it.
Basically: I didn't enjoy this as much as I would have liked, BUT I will still continue to read from this author because I do love the concepts she brings to the table.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!...more
There were aspects about this sequel that I liked more than the first book, and there were some that I liked less. However, the only constant thoughtThere were aspects about this sequel that I liked more than the first book, and there were some that I liked less. However, the only constant thought in my head throughout both reads was:this duology really would have been so much better without the romance.It always felt like an unnecessary subplot that took away from the fantasy and the mystery that should have been the main focus of both this and the first book.
Key points:Main mystery did not have any foreshadowing (though the "background" behind this was WAY more interesting than the first book), secondary mystery was very obvious, fake marriage subplot with no chemistry, lots of info-dumping and guessing on the fantasy world-building (could have been done better, but the idea was great)
I think one of the main problems with this book was that it was trying way too hard to be three things at once: a fantasy, a mystery, and a romance. NI think one of the main problems with this book was that it was trying way too hard to be three things at once: a fantasy, a mystery, and a romance. Normally, I wouldlovea combination of these three genres, butBlood and Moonlightthrew so much information and intensity from all three subplots that this one ended up turning into a pile of word mush,especially towards the end.
The first half was pretty great, when it was just a murder mystery with a tinge of magic. When the main love interest came around, the plot just lost focus entirely, and the second half wentWAYdownhill.It turned into a reverse-harem, murdernon-mystery, fantasy info-dump.I'll elaborate on all three aspects.
The Mystery The murderer was obvious around halfway in. We essentially only really had two solid options. IMO, the main character had no place in this mystery -- she oddly always just felt like an outsider trying to peek in. Maybe this would have been an enjoyable read if it was from the main love interest's POV, WITHOUT the main lead. I enjoyed the gore, though.
The Fantasy The fantasy aspect was definitely only used as a plot device. The bits and pieces that were hinted at in the beginning of the book were so naturally incorporated that I looked forward to more of it, but it soon turned into an info-dump that was hard to absorb. The idea was definitely unique and interesting, though.
The Romance *breathes in* Ah, the romance. This was complete insanity and I wish it wasn't part of the book. The romance between the two MCs was definitely insta-love-y, and their connection wasn't at all fleshed out. Other than that, it seemed like every fucking man in this book was interested in Catrin, and for no good reason, either. It's not like she's the most captivating woman in all the land -- quite the opposite, actually. She made horrible decisions, put people's lives at risk, and was overall unlikable.
In conclusion, I wish this book chose one aspect to really highlight and focus on. It could have been a creepy mystery with a little bit of fantasy and a hint of romance (or, you know, no romance could be good for YA sometimes!), rather than being a novel with too much information but no solid direction.
Key points:Predictable twists, cringe reverse-harem romance, gorgeous integration of magic, boring male lead (with slight second ML syndrome), interesting political and religious commentary
After some internalizing, I've come to realize that I really have almost nothing good to say about this book... so I've lowered the rating to 1 star.After some internalizing, I've come to realize that I really have almost nothing good to say about this book... so I've lowered the rating to 1 star. Anyway, to be straightforward: this book was weird as fuck. I felt genuinelydisturbedand uncomfortable while reading this one, and I'm not sure if that was entirely intentional. I'll try to break it all down.
WORLD BUILDING AND LORE Well, the world building was absolutely non-existent, which was definitely a shame. The concept behind the Vespertine and the religious background behind everything would have beensointeresting to read about if everything was just fleshed out properly.
PLOT AND PACING For a book that's almost 400 pages long, maybe less than a hundred pages were used for the actualstory.Majority of the book focused on, well, something else. I will say, though, that there were a few surprising twists toward the end, amidst all the very predictable ones. (Yes, I'm willing to give this booksomecredit.)
CHARACTERS AND RELATIONSHIPS Girl, please. None of the characters hadanypersonality. The author only really attempted to give the main character a sob story background and left the rest of the characters up in the air. I honestly don't even remember any of the characters' names. A don’t even get me started on the romance — I don’t even know if I can call it that.
WRITING STYLE There were SO MANY repetitive scenes and repetitive descriptions. This thing could make you feel like you're stuck in a time loop, wondering why the hell this scene you're reading sounds insanely familiar... and that's because you've read basically the same thing ten pages ago.
OVERALL As a people-pleaser, it's difficult for me to say that I wouldn't recommend this, but as a terrible liar, I also can't say that I would. Do with that what you will.
aimee (aimeecanread)
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