This was such a sweet but realistic volume, and seemed like a nice step up story wise in comparison to volume 1. Mashiro’s confrontation with his mothThis was such a sweet but realistic volume, and seemed like a nice step up story wise in comparison to volume 1. Mashiro’s confrontation with his mother was sad, but seemed like something that had needed to happen for a long time, and Kanade being the one to stick up for his man was a nice touch since he can be so timid at times.
This book was both cute, but also infuriatingly hard to read at times. I love a good, quirky romance, but, boy, did this book need to 3 out of 5 stars
This book was both cute, but also infuriatingly hard to read at times. I love a good, quirky romance, but, boy, did this book need to dial it back at times. Also, Coal having both mommy and daddy issues made him a tad bit insufferable, but he did pull his shit together by the end of the book, and realized all he needed to do was tell his dad to shove it in order to save the day. All in all, we got ourselves a happy ending with a promise of more, and I did find Hex and Coal cute together, despite their relationship feeling very rushed.
I get why some people did not like this book, because, wow, the writing style felt a bit manic at times, but this is, quite literally, just a fun read. If you are looking for kooky fluffy goodness with very little world building, then give The Nightmare before Kissmas a try....more
I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I’ve only read 2 books by Huang before. The first was Twisted Love, which 4 out of 5 stars
I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I’ve only read 2 books by Huang before. The first was Twisted Love, which was unhinged, and the second Twisted Games, which was drawn out and too long for its own good.
King of Wrath, however, hit all the right spots for me. The conflict between our two main leads made sense. Dante is blackmailed into his arranged marriage with Vivian by her father, and his brother’s life hangs in the balance. He has every right to not like Vivian. Vivian also doesn’t like the idea of being forced into a marriage with Dante, but she has no idea what the real reason behind the arrangement actually is. Thus, conflict forms when the two start to fall for one another, because Dante was ready to kick her to the curb when he destroyed her father’s blackmail evidence, but then he starts to catch feelings. It also helps that Vivian is actually a good main heroine. She’s smart, ambitious, but also has an inferiority complex when it comes to her parents thanks to her need to always seek their approval at the expense of her own happiness.
The chemistry in this romance is really good. I have been longing for a good tension filled romance for awhile and this one scratched that itch. Dante is an anal bastard who has a heart of gold. A perfect example of a guy who was forced to grow up at a young age due to absent parents and huge expectations. His growth is fabulous and I loved his vulnerable moments. Vivian’s growth was more connected to learning to stand up for herself whether it was with her parents or Dante himself. The conflict was also good towards the end of the book. What Dante does is bad, but you can understand why he does it, because Vivian’s dad is a shitbag. Vivian makes Dante work for his redemption with her and she doesn’t knuckle under quickly, which I appreciated. The ending was sweet and I am intrigued to see where this series goes next.
I’m liking this more mature, grounded tone to her romances, so I’m hoping that carries forward with her newer books. I think if you were ever wanting to give Huang’s books a try, King of Wrath would be a good place to start, since, at least to me, is the best one I’ve read....more
This was not as good as I was hoping it was going to be. It started off very promising. Ophelia inheriting her mothers necromancy upon3 out of 5 stars
This was not as good as I was hoping it was going to be. It started off very promising. Ophelia inheriting her mothers necromancy upon her untimely demise, and dealing with her OCD and the potential loss of her home were interesting story beats to get this story rolling. The introduction of Phantasma was also intriguing. A Devil run death game with 9 trials based on the 9 levels of Hell, and whosoever comes out on top, is able to ask the Prince of Devils to grant them one wish. Also, Ophelia enters for a legitimate reason, which is to save her sister.
However, these trials, although mostly interesting, started to make the plot very repetitive, and Ophelia's relationship with Phantasma's resident phantom, Blackwell, felt very forced from the jump. I get that this is Romantasy, so romance is key to the plot, but just because two people are hot and have an instinctual pull towards each other, does not sell me on their romance. Everything just felt very surface level with these two and the climax felt very cookie cutter for a story set in a death game, where people are murdered and mentally scarred. Is it too much to ask for some yearning? Some pining? It would have been so much more impactful if Blackwell could not touch Ophelia, being a ghost and all, and that it took a lot of effort to make himself corporal. Think of the sexual tension that could be created by a couple that literally can't touch each other even though they are right in front of one another.
All in all, Phantasma felt like it needed to bake in the oven a bit more before we all got to bite into it. There were some cool things about the plot, and the writing is not bad, it just lacked the oomph I needed to root for the main couple, and keep me engaged in the plot. Also, I found it odd that Blackwell and Ophelia's story wraps up at the end of this book, so clearly book 2 has a different couple as the main characters. So, although, this was not my ideal read, I still think other Romantasy fans should give it a try to see how they like it, because what may not be my cup of tea, may be someone else's favourite....more
3.75 stars out of 5, which I am rounding up because I had a good time
Okay, I get why the majority of people consider God of Fury to be their favourite3.75 stars out of 5, which I am rounding up because I had a good time
Okay, I get why the majority of people consider God of Fury to be their favourite book in this series, because it sure feels like Kent gave more of a crap about Brandon and Nikolai in comparison to all the other characters in this series.
These two had the most development character wise outside of their book than anyone else, which made the lead up to this book much more exciting, because I wanted to know what their deal was. I was sad to see that Brandon is quite messed up, but I enjoyed, for the most part, how his issues were portrayed and understood his struggle with being himself and allowing himself to be happy. The chemistry between Nikolai and Brandon is off the charts, also, which was great, because most of the couples in this series were very meh, in that I did not get why any of them have liked each other for the most part. I get why these two like each other. It's that grumpy x sunshine trope, mixed with opposites attracting, which works really well when written properly. Yes, their relationship is a bit toxic at times, but all of Kent's are, and this one is vanilla in comparison to Killian almost dropping Glyn off a cliff when they first meet and then assaulting her. These two help sand down their rough edges, and I really loved that. Also, there is a much slower build as the story takes place over a longer period of time than other books in this series.
The pacing of this one was also a lot better, especially through the mid section, as Niko and Bran's relationship started to deepen, but the end dragged a bit for me right up until the last 5o pages when the crazy thing happened. Someone does die in this book, but they totally deserved it, so I'm all for the violence at the end.
All in all, of the few books I've read by Kent so far, this is, by far, the best one she has ever written, because it is clear she stepped out of her comfort zone. All the straight couples in this series felt very same same by the third book, so God of Fury felt like a breath of fresh air. Neither Nikolai or Brandon allowed themselves to become doormats in their relationship. There was mutual asshole behavior on both sides, and working on fixing that asshole behavior. That's why this book works better than the others. So, due to my enjoyment of this, I think I will likely never pick up a straight romance by Kent again, but if she does any LGBTQ+ ones in the future, I will definitely give them a read.
I don’t know why I find this series so entertaining.
Morally, I guess this book was a bit better than God of Malice. Jeremy isn't a 2.5 stars out of 5
I don’t know why I find this series so entertaining.
Morally, I guess this book was a bit better than God of Malice. Jeremy isn't a psychopath, but he's definitely still a giant red flag. He's very caveman/barbarian coded, which Cecily seemed to love, so more power to her. Cecily was a bit bland in my opinion. Yes, she had some bad stuff happen to her, which made her distrustful of others, but the women in this series have terrible taste in men, and we just have to roll with it. She goes from barely tolerating him, to falling in love with him at the drop of a hat. Jeremy only has to tell her about his mom, and cuddle her a bit, and she's like 'he's the one'. There is a moment with a gun that literally made me laugh out loud on the bus. You must read it to know what I am talking about, because this is moment is so audacious one cannot spoil it.
Also, these are billed as stand-alone novels but, boy, was I lost when references were made to God of Pain. I skipped that book, and the plot in this one takes place at the same time as parts of that book, and because it's literally about Jeremy's sister, it is supposedly important to characters in this book, but moments I should have known about were jumped over so casually that I was lost at times. There is literally a moment where they say one character had had their throat slashed, and I was like 'WHEN? HOW?' So, ya, read these books in order. There were also repeated moments. At this point, both Cecily and Glyndon have snuck into the Heathens initiation ritual, and I have a sneaking suspicion more people did, which is hilarious because this initiation is supposed to be super exclusive, but everyone who is not supposed to be there seems to be getting in no problem.
It's funny, but I find that the more I read the dark romance genre, the more soap opera-like I consider it to be. Everyone is comedically over the top, there are lots of crazy people, and horrible things happening at the drop of a hat. This isn't amazing literature. Hell, it's not even good, and can be cringe inducing at times, but I am still wildly entertained, and it is curing my reading slump somehow. So, Ms. Kent, if you keep dishing it out, I will likely keep eating it up....more
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This addition to the Psy-Changeling series started off strong, and in m4 out of 5 stars
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This addition to the Psy-Changeling series started off strong, and in my opinion, the first 50% of this book was Singh at her best. The second half of the book was not quite as strong, as the mystery portion of this book gets wrapped up faster than you think it would, and then the last 20% or so of the book is focusing on an issue which is monumental to the world this series is set in, but just not as much fun to read about.
The characters were great. I really liked the conflict between Eleri and Adam from the jump. Eleri is a J-Psy who is one bad day away from death due to her years of work erading psychopaths minds, and forced reconditionings under Silence, and Adam is the Wingleader of Windhaven, a flock of changeling falcon's and other birds of prey. The two met when they were just teens, and in that moment the two both knew they were mates. However, when they meet is the issue, and I don't want to give things away about the plot, but it is understandable why Adam has such strong animosity towards Eleri, despite them only meeting the one time before the events of this book. How the two of them come together is really sweet, and had me getting a bit misty eyed at times, because I was rooting for these two to have their happy ending.
There were also a bunch of great side characters in this one as well, with a lot of potential for future books. Windhaven is an interesting changeling dynamic, since they aren't animals, but birds, so their community structure is a bit different.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book, and I am very happy to say that Singh still has it, and just continues to give. Fans of this series really have something to look forward to with Atonement Sky....more
It has been a long time since I've read a book that was so out there that I had to keep reading it just to s2 out of 5 stars
Wow.
This was fucking wild.
It has been a long time since I've read a book that was so out there that I had to keep reading it just to see what crazy thing was going to happen next. How many laws would be broken by this books end? Would Killian actually kill someone by the end of the book and would it be for the fun of it all? How in the world do these two small university's have so many psychopaths enrolled in their programs? Is there something in the water? Inquiring minds want to know.
First, I want to start of by saying that in the real world, Killian would be in jail. He isn't just a red flag, he is a giant black flag, and anyone who met a guy like this should run, and run fast in the other direction, because this man is a sexual predator. Kent does give ample warning about the trigger warnings present in this book before it starts, so if what she lists is not for you, please turn back, because she does not go light on the details.
This was truly a trashy read. There are some weird moments mixed in with the wild ones. There's a character named Remi who refers to himself as 'my lordship' unironically, and all of his friends are cool with it. He also calls his best friend, Creighton, 'spawn', so there's that as well. There are secret clubs who get up to all kinds of nefarious shit, but it just feels like a bunch of grown up babies playing gangster until they become real gangsters, so I just thought a lot of the illegal stuff was funny. The Elites and the Heathens are the ones we want to root for, while the Serpents are the assholes who are trying to cause anarchy. It's all bonkers, but terribly entertaining.
As for the romance, oh boy. Killian is a psychopath, and Glyndon has a domination kink. She gets off on having her control taken away from her, and I get that some people are fully down with that, but there were a lot of moments where there was no consent, or minimal consent on Glyndon's part. However, she claims to be in love with him by the end of the book, because he makes her feel free to be herself, and he loves her the only way a psychopath can as well, so, yay? Honestly, I kept wanting Glyndon to wake up and run away, but by a certain point I couldn't help but think they deserved one another, since they were both seemed beyond saving.
As for the other characters in this book, everyone seemed to be some shade of out there in some capacity. I am intrigued by Killian and Glyndon's brothers, and actually want to read their books for reasons I cannot fathom. Nikolai also seems like a fun crazy, not the murderous crazy that Killian is.
Honestly, I would not call this a good book for any reason at all. But, I was so entertained by how outlandish everything was that I want to pick up another book in this series. I don't know what that says about me.
This was cute as hell, and I have a feeling this series is going to be incredibly wholesome. I like the twist of the two of them basically falling forThis was cute as hell, and I have a feeling this series is going to be incredibly wholesome. I like the twist of the two of them basically falling for each other pretty quick, but it's the people around them who keep them from acting on those feelings. The plot is described as being inspired by Romeo and Juliet, but here's hoping that things don't get as tragic as the original play....more
What a strange, infuriating book this was. The final book in this trilogy started off alright, before veering off a cliff into crazy t2 out of 5 stars
What a strange, infuriating book this was. The final book in this trilogy started off alright, before veering off a cliff into crazy town, and quickly cementing itself as the worst installment in this series.
I don't want to spoil things, because a lot of things are revealed about this 'world' in this book, but to sum the book up, 50% of it is just Wrath and Emilia being horny for each other for no reason other than that they are in each other's presence, and the other half is just Emilia bumbling her way through a pseudo-mystery, while Maniscalco sets up the potential for multiple spin offs of this series. I kid you not, the last 50 pages of this book, virtually nothing happens aside from the mystery is solved because people finally decide to communicate, and all the other characters get to subtly hint at who they could possibly end up with. It was that lazy of an ending.
The romance is also still very meh, because I didn't get the appeal of Emilia, and this book results in her changing a bunch for very spoilery reasons, but the questions of why these two were so in love with each other is still lost on me.
Basically, this series, from the jump, has suffered from a clear identity crisis. The fact that this book can still be found in the Teen section of most bookstores boggles my mind after they took Throne of Glass out, because this is definitely not a book I would give a 13 year old to read. Everyone is horny at all times, and they act on that feeling in detail. There is quite literally a scene where Emilia sees a dude just out and about with a bejeweled dick. This made me laugh out loud, but, wow, this is not for younger teens. Based upon the fact that the spin off novels for this series are all in Adult Fantasy, I can tell Maniscalco just wanted to write an adult novel, and instead had to write this weird confusing mess of a series that had no idea what is was supposed to be, or who it was for.
All in all, this was not good. The plotline was weak. The romance was so-so, and I just did not give a damn about anything that was happening by the time I got to the halfway mark of this book. I'm curious to see if the adult versions of this series are any better, because they know what audience they are aimed for, but I am not holding my breath....more
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