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The Queen of Nothing

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All of Jude’s hard work in the shadows and in the light comes to a conclusion in the finale of her’s and Cardan’s epic story. From the beginning the plot was non-stop…from fighting Grima Mog, to sneaking back into Elfhame as Taryn, and finally the culmination of Madoc’s treason against the crown. I combed through this book so quickly because it felt like new information was revealed or things changed so quickly with every turn of the page. My already favorite characters got even better, and characters I didn’t necessarily like before had growth that made them more bearable. Though, I’ll admit…I don’t care that Taryn killed Locke and is pregnant, she is still very selfish and didn’t fully redeem herself in my eyes. One of my favorite parts was having Jude and Cardan finally address their feelings for each other in full honesty. These two are so hopeless when it comes to love, but it makes them as a couple so endearing. The cruel boy who didn’t know what love looked like, and the mortal girl who was forced to grow in a harsher world…it makes sense they have difficulty showing their true feelings. The way everything came to a conclusion was not something I could have predicted. I figured that Madoc would try and bring war to Elfhame for the crown, but I was not expecting that Cardan’s breaking of the crown would turn him into a giant snake. Nor the way things would work out in the end for everyone. Madoc has got to be one of the best written antagonists I’ve seen. His actions are questionable, but his motives are endearing and understandable. Though I do also see selfishness in him too from his decisions, much like Taryn. Overall, this conclusion was a masterpiece. I have truly grown to love this series and will miss this story and characters, but I am glad to now know it fully.

The Wicked King

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I picked up this book immediately after finishing the first one. Now that Cardan is High King with Jude pulling the strings in the background, it might have seemed like not much else could happen. However, it seems in the world of Elfhame there is always new conflict arising among the different courts of faerie. I’ll admit, this book had a bit of a slower start compared to the first one, but the plot picked up nicely once new threats revealed themselves. Holly Black continues to intrigue me with the way she has built this world and all the court  dynamics, which the reader gets an even closer look at now that Jude is a crucial part of them. I really came to love more of the characters in this sequel, especially Cardan. Even though there is still so much that we do not know about him, those mysteries almost make him more intriguing. Especially when he is interacting with Jude and making the choices he does when it comes to her. Their wedding was a surprise at first, and I wish Jude could finally get a real answer on how he feels about her, as well as her feelings for him. Madoc also grew on me a bit during this story as well. I still don’t fully trust him, but I also don’t fully hate him. He is such a well written antagonist that his reasonings for his actions are understandable. However, you also want to root for Jude and all the hard work she has put in behind the scenes with no credit being rewarded. One character this book made me dislike even more though, was Taryn. In the first book she was already annoying to me. Her choices seem very selfish and just cruel at times. However, her betrayal of Jude at the end was what has solidified my hate for her. Overall, this second book was great! There didn’t feel like as much going on as in the first, but it still kept me reading for more. I cannot wait to see what happens with our Queen of Elfhame, Jude, now that she is in exile.

The Cruel Prince

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I have had this series on my TBR for a while now because of all the talk I had heard surrounding it on BookTok. The story follows Jude Duarte, a mortal girl who at a young age was stolen away with her sisters to the world of Faerie. There she grew up among the other children of the fae but was never treated as an equal. Always being picked on by a particular circle that included the youngest prince of the faeries, Cardan. Jude was a very intriguing character to me, especially as the story went on and things in her life began to change. Once she becomes a part of The Court of Shadows, a secret organization of spies for the crown prince Dain, she starts to gain more confidence in herself and the abilities she has. All the other characters are also very well written and developed. Cardan is another character I’m looking forward to learning more about. At first he seems like just a bully, but throughout the story, we start to crack away at that wall he seems to have set up and see a bit more of the person he is inside. Holly Black created such a beautiful and lush world in Elfhame full of different kinds of faerie and court politics. I couldn’t put this book down because I wasn’t sure what kind of twist or reveal might come next. Some people come into this book expecting a lot of romance because the romance is talked about a lot online surrounding this series. However, the romantic aspects are subplots. The main plot of this series is all about the court politics and how a mortal girl makes her way in a world of immortal, magical beings. Overall, this book was a masterpiece. It was an amazing introduction to the world of Elfhame and I cannot wait to start the next book and see what happens next.

Disrespectfully Yours

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Finishing a fantasy series means picking up the next book in Jennifer CHipman’s ‘Best Friends Book Club’ series. I was excited to start this one as it contains some of my favorite tropes to read about: enemies to lovers, friends with benefits, and workplace romance. Now that I’ve finished, it did not disappoint at all. Our two main characters, Angelina and Benjamin, are both quite complex and relatable characters. Benjamin is a big nerd on the inside, but he feels he has to hide that side of him so others don’t make fun of him. Angelina has a big fear of love and relationships stemming from deep insecurities of not being enough for the person she cares for. Altogether, these two make such an endearing and fun couple to read about. Everything about their relationship from start to finish kept me engaged. From their banter and arguments that turned flirtier as time went on, to the way they just seem to get each other completely. Chipman really has a way of delving deep into these characters and making them seem like people that can actually exist in real life…because they do. I also enjoyed getting to see more into the dynamic of the four friends this series revolves around. Now reading Angelina’s book I have the understanding from before of Noelle plus some, as well as seeing a bit more into Gabi and Charlotte. I can’t wait to delve further into their books in the future and see a fully realized picture of how these four girls make such a great group of friends. Overall, I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. It was truly a masterpiece in my eyes and Angelina and Benjamin are so far, my favorite couple in this series.

A Curse for True Love

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Never have I ever picked up a book so fast, then when I finished the 2nd book in this series and needed to start this one. Our heroine, Evangeline, is left with no memories after Apollo has stolen them, and now Jacks is seen as a fugitive on the run. I immediately loved getting to see the other characters’ POV in this book, Especially Jacks, as he is such a complicated character that has become one of my favorite literary males. He loves Evangeline so much, but he knows that he is not able to love her without hurting her. So instead of hurting Evangeline, he’d rather live without the ability to love at all. At least then she’d be completely safe from him in his eyes. His story is just so heart wrenching and makes all his choices from the past books make so much more sense. We don’t normally get to see the villain’s POV, so I also thought it was interesting looking inside Apollo’s head. His chapters didn’t make me like him any better, but it was cool to see what was leading his choices. Another set of characters that were interesting and I felt had a lot of potential were the Valors. After being awoken in the last book with the opening of the Valory Arch, I expected to see them have more influence in this book. However, we mostly saw Aurora Valor, and not too much else from the family. Her influence was important though, as it revealed a lot of new information and answered a lot of questions that I’ve had throughout this series. When it comes down to it though, this story was about Evangeline and Jacks, and as such they were our main focus. This book was honestly a masterpiece, and I couldn’t put it down. I hoped for a happy ending and was very satisfied to finally see that for our star-crossed lovers.

The Ballad of Never After

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It had been a while since reading a book that simultaneously made me smile uncontrollably while also clenching my heart in pain. This 2nd book in the ‘Once Upon a Broken Heart’ trilogy did just that. We picked up where the first book left off. Apollo is still dead and Evangeline has learned the truth that it was Jacks’ doing in order to manipulate her into opening the Valory Arch. However, as we learn in this book, there is so much more to this story. After she swore not to work with or trust Jacks again, Evangeline is forced to in order to save herself and Apollo. I loved how Garber entwined more lore to the world of the Magnificent North, as well as backstory to our morally gray male lead, Jacks. Evangeline has been through a lot in a short amount of time, but she still believes in having a happy ending…even if she comes to realize that her happy ending is meant to be with the person she thought she despised. The enemies to lovers are so delicious in this book between Evangeline and Jacks. She is so adamant at fighting her feelings, but he just keeps making it too hard to resist. At the end I was grateful the 3rd book was already out so I could start right away. It was a wild journey from start to finish…but especially that ending. It moved so quickly from the reveal of the Valors all being alive, to Jacks going back in time to save Evangeline, and finally Apollo coming in and stealing Evangeline’s memories away from her. Overall, I thought this book was a masterpiece. So many beautiful and amazing plot points and twists that kept me beyond engaged.

Once Upon a Broken Heart

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I have fan artists to thank for finding this beautiful book. I kept seeing art for this series on my Insta feed and had to read it. This series felt like my favorite aesthetic…pastel fairytale with edges of darkness. Our main character, Evangeline Fox, makes a deal with the Prince of Hearts, Jacks, after a terrible heartbreak. From then on her life is turned upside down as she goes on a journey she could never have expected. She gets her prince charming but also learns of how fate has been leading her life to be in the Magnificent North. Turns out Evangeline is part of a prophecy to open a magical door called the Valory Arch and there are two sides fighting to get their hands on her. Those that want the Arch opened and those that don’t. This story was engaging from the first page with new twists and reveals coming every few chapters. Evangeline might be one of my new favorite female characters. She’s a dreamer and an optimist first and foremost, and just wants to have her own happy ending. Each of the characters in this book have their own story and motivations that unfold and intertwine together as the plot moves on. I think for the first book in this series it was a wonderful introduction to the world and story that’s to come. It didn’t give us everything all at once, but pieces to motivate us to continue and see what might happen next. From the bickering between Evangeline and Jacks, to the magic and lore of this world…I just kept wanting more! Overall, this book was great, and I can’t wait to continue this series.

Academically Yours

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Between all the fantasy I normally read, it’s nice to have a break. I picked up this series (The Best Friends Book Club) at a midnight release party, and also got to happily meet and talk with the author! I really enjoyed this book though in all honesty. As I said before, it’s a nice breather from the high stakes I usually read. So my brain and heart were happy to have a break. Noelle and Matthew are both enjoyable, well developed characters, and I loved seeing their relationship bloom and grow. One of my favorite aspects of this book was the split POVs. I love when romance authors do this with their stories because then we get to see both characters on their journey of romance and how they feel…Plus it shows a lot of development that the author had to create in order for each character to have a fully flushed out personality and story. The side characters were also well developed too. Especially Noelle’s friends who are the subjects of the other 3 books in this series. Getting introduced to them here allowed the reader to get a basic understanding of each of their personalities before diving into their individual book. There were moments of angst, and moments of feet-kicking cuteness…both of which are some of my favorite things when it comes to books. I was glad to see this couple able to develop fully too with their happy ending and getting married…but honestly…I want more! Overall, this book was very good, and I’m excited to have a local author to support and follow.

Crescent City: House of Flame and Shadow

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The moment this book came out, I was there. While I hadn’t waited as long as others did after HOSABE for this one, I was still impatient. Bryce is one of my favorite FMCs  in the Maasverse, so getting to see her in my favorite land, Prythian, was awesome. I know this book made a lot of readers unhappy, but I honestly enjoyed it. The moments in Prythian, while not very many, revealed a lot about the worlds SJM has created in all three of her series. While I admit, I’d have loved to see more interaction with the characters of ACOTAR, I understand the need to return to Lunathion and solve the big problem of the Asteri. In this book the amount of twists and reveals had me never wanting to stop. For me, Bryce, Lidia, and Ruhn held my heart the most…while Ithan and Tharion had me constantly face palming. Seriously those two…just use those brain cells for once! Lidia took the spotlight the most for me in this one. Being the first book of the series where we get to see her POV, I liked finally getting to see inside her mind and learn more about her. I was also able to find and read all the bonus chapters for this one and I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. Especially seeing what happened in Prythian with Ember and Randall when Bryce left them in Nesta’s care. For those saying Bryce acted out of character, I have to disagree. Bryce has always been a character focused on doing what needs to be done to achieve a goal. Time was against them all in this story, and Bryce got done what she knew needed to be done. Overall, I thought this book was a masterpiece, and has become my favorite of the Crescent City series. I loved how it brought answers not only to the world of Lunathion, but also answers and tie-ins to SJM’s other worlds of Prythian (ACOTAR) and Erilea (TOG).

Midnight Ruin

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We once again return to the Dark Olympus series that I cannot get enough of. This time we see the throuple of Eurydice, Orpheus, and Charon. Building off of the past from this series, th8is book starts with Orpheus beating himself up for his part in Eurydice being put in major danger in book one. Six books later and Eurydice is finding her place in the Lower City helping her sister, Persephone, and Hades with finding out more about the forces trying to take down Olympus. We get a lot of build-up for the micro-plot in this one…especially with the big reveal that Minos’ mysterious benefactor is Circe. Now, we cannot talk about a Katee Robert book without discussing the spice…and boy was it steamy. I thoroughly enjoyed how this book showed a lot of character growth both inside and outside the bedroom. There isn’t just sex to be sex in Robert’s books. There are actual conversations and growth that happens for the characters during these times. I truly loved how here the spice was seen almost as therapy for Eurydice and Orpheus to work through their past. While Charon was there as a rock and support for both of them while exploring different sides of pleasure. Overall, I thought this book was great and I’d say it’s my second favorite of the series so far.