Book Review: Powerless (The Powerless Trilogy #1) by Lauren Roberts

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 523 pages
Author: Lauren Roberts
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: November 7th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

She is the very thing he’s spent his whole life hunting.
He is the very thing she’s spent her whole life pretending to be.

Only the extraordinary belong in the kingdom of Ilya—the exceptional, the empowered, the Elites.

The powers these Elites have possessed for decades were graciously gifted to them by the Plague, though not all were fortunate enough to both survive the sickness and reap the reward. Those born Ordinary are just that—ordinary. And when the king decreed that all Ordinaries be banished in order to preserve his Elite society, lacking an ability suddenly became a crime—making Paedyn Gray a felon by fate and a thief by necessity.

Surviving in the slums as an Ordinary is no simple task, and Paedyn knows this better than most. Having been trained by her father to be overly observant since she was a child, Paedyn poses as a Psychic in the crowded city, blending in with the Elites as best she can in order to stay alive and out of trouble. Easier said than done.

When Paeydn unsuspectingly saves one of Ilyas princes, she finds herself thrown into the Purging Trials. The brutal competition exists to showcase the Elites’ powers—the very thing Paedyn lacks. If the Trials and the opponents within them don’t kill her, the prince she’s fighting feelings for certainly will if he discovers what she is—completely Ordinary.

WHERE HAVE I BEEN.

WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME I SHOULD READ THIS SOONER. Good heavens this is EVERYTHING I love about enemies to lovers young adult fantasy romance. I was already thinking it was a five star read a quarter of the way through. And it DELIVERED.

I loved the banter between Paeydn and the prince. And the amount of scenes were I was kicking my feet can not be charted. There was a fantastic balance of intense action scenes mixed in with the soft and tender. I was smitten with them and can’t wait to see where this relationship goes.

Paedyn was amazing. I loved her. She was strong and capable, and when she went there she WENT THERE. I was impressed with the turns this book took and how it continually kept me guessing. There’s some subtle Hunger Games vibes that I fit well and the competition was fierce.

THE ENDING THOUGH. I am a sucker for an incredible, make me shout kind of cliffhanger shocker. IYKYK why this is one of my favorite endings. I will now be telling anyone who will listen that this is the next fantasy book they need.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: low
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: battle themes, loss of life, murder, mentions of child abuse, torture, loss of loved ones

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Novella Collection Book Review: The Improbable Meet Cute Series

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance Novella
Length: 101 pages
Author: Christina Lauren
Publisher: Amazon Originals
Release Date: January 23rd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

On February 14, an accidental email to a stranger opens the door to an unexpected relationship in a captivating short story by the New York Times bestselling authors of The Unhoneymooners.

One typo, and a boy and girl connect by chance. Wishing each other a happy Valentine’s Day isn’t the end. In fact, it becomes a friendly annual tradition—with rules: no pics, no real names, nothing too personal. As years pass, the rules for their email “dates” are breaking, and they’re sharing more than they imagined—including the urge to ask…what if we actually met?

VERY CUTE.

I adored this. For 100 pages I felt like I genuinely got a lot of story to be rooting for this couple. Plenty of emails, a dash of Valentine’s and when they finally met? SO CUTE. This was a romantic gem.

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance Novella
Length: 61 pages
Author: Abby Jimenez
Publisher: Amazon Originals
Release Date: January 23rd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

They’re falling in love, yet they’ve never met. Maybe fate can intervene in a heartwarming “what-if” short story about new beginnings by the New York Times bestselling author of Yours Truly.

Holly is dealing with the impending death of her grandmother and still reeling from a bad breakup. One bright spot: a Valentine’s Day card on Holly’s windshield—even if it wasn’t meant for her. An amusing mistake soon turns into a lovely exchange of anonymous notes, little acts of kindness, and a growing affection between two strangers. What happens when one of them has to say goodbye?

CHARMED.

I have no idea how in 61 pages I felt like I got a well thought out story. I loved the characters. I thought the meet-cute was definitely clever and this made me smile a lot! Even burst out laughing too.

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance Novella
Length: 44 pages
Author: Sally Thorne
Publisher: Amazon Originals
Release Date: January 23rd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

For a hopeful and hopeless romantic, it’s love at first sight—with a little twist—in a hilarious short story about finding Mr. Right by the USA Today bestselling author of The Hating Game.

Rosie Whittaker and her sister are up for some Galentine’s pampering at a day spa. Getting locked inside a flotation tank is so Rosie. Enter a firefighter hero determined to pry this luckless pearl out of her high-tech shell. All Rosie has to go on is a dreamy voice and a flirty sense of humor. Remain calm, Rosie. This could be what you’ve been waiting for. Is this the man she’s waited for her whole life?

EH.

Not as into this one. The idea was there, but I didn’t love the execution. This would have benefited from even just a few more pages to add a better back story.

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance Novella
Length: 40 pages
Author: Jasmine Guillory
Publisher: Amazon Originals
Release Date: January 23rd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

It takes nothing less than a fateful natural disaster to throw two opposites together in a ground-shakingly charming short story by the New York Times bestselling author of Drunk on Love.

This Valentine’s Day, Daisy Murray has her heart set on binge-watching rom-coms. Instead, an earthquake traps her inside a bakery with its impossibly rude and insufferably handsome owner and head baker. They already have a history: she’s always smiled, he’s always scowled. Where better to finally get to know each other than amid the disaster? Then again, they have no choice. Besides, it could have its sweet, undeniable, and unpredictable perks.

WAY TOO FAST.

This was not very good. No build up, no true conversation, just how fast can we get into bed without actually knowing each other.

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance Novella
Length: 43 pages
Author: Ashely Poston
Publisher: Amazon Originals
Release Date: January 23rd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Every person she kisses finds their true love, and it’s never her—until now, in this funny and magically romantic short story by the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

Audrey Love is cursed to be the person before you find your soulmate, the girl you dump for your true love. So when her best friend disappears hours before his Valentine’s Day wedding, Audrey fears that she did the unthinkable and kissed him at last night’s bachelor party. With help from the best man, she retraces her steps to find the missing groom and, with any luck, a true love of her own.

ZERO DEPTH.

This felt like it was missing A LOT to actually make the story work. The flashback chapters weren’t that helpful either. While I thought the couple had some chemistry, I didn’t like how this went about accomplishing that fact.

Rating: ★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance Novella
Length: 71 pages
Author: Sariah Wilson
Publisher: Amazon Originals
Release Date: January 23rd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Valentine’s Day becomes a Roman holiday for a princess in disguise in a dizzyingly romantic short story about making wishes come true by the USA Today bestselling author of The Chemistry of Love.

Princess Ilaria has had it up to her tiara with the paparazzi, her own wild reputation, and the public eye. Trading places with her assistant, Ilaria wants just one blissfully ordinary weekend. Then a handsome photographer with a sexy Scottish burr offers to be her guide. Sparks fly, but how long can they last? Ilaria’s secret has to come out—and it could ruin a perfectly serendipitous romance.

A LOT OF LYING.

This felt way too condensed. To even add in a third act breakup in a 70 page novella? After one day? And everyone was lying?

So many things did not work for me in this one. I’d say this is my least favorite of the bunch.

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Book Review: Maiden of Candlelight and Lotuses (The Zheninghai Chronicles #0) by Anastasis Blythe

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 387 pages
Author: Anastasis Blythe
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 30th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Dreams of magic and romance have no place in the heart of a poor farm girl. Or so Liena thought…

Magical visions have a way of turning the world upside-down. One minute Song Liena is a simple farm girl hoping for good luck at the matchmaker, and the next she is a student at the empire’s most rigorous and dangerous magic Academy.

It doesn’t take long for her to realize she’s ten years behind, her magic is weak, and she is in way over her head. But Liena is determined to work hard if it means a chance at a better life for her family.

She just wasn’t counting on being noticed by the handsome Crown Prince—a warrior-in-training said to have fire magic powerful enough to decimate entire armies.

But princes are not for peasants, and everything is not as it seems at the Academy. Monsters lurk around every corner, and someone is dabbling in dark, illegal magic.
Someone who has set their sinister sights on her.

THOUGHTS.

One on side of the review I enjoyed this. It has an easy writing style that makes for a fast pace. I liked the nods to Mulan (though maybe a little too close at the beginning and end?). It’s a good premise type of set-up that leaves plenty of room for more stories in the world.

What’s missing is the world though. My main issue stems from the fact that there’s no world building. Everything is set at an academy and there’s discussions on the different types of creatures they have to defend against buuuut that’s kind of it. There’s even a Prince! And I know NOTHING about his kingdom??! Or the magic. Everyone seems to have a different type of magic yet there’s no explanation as to why that is or what type of limits there are or why someone’s works better than the next.

The romance is sweet, would have loved even more development, it was cute enough. And the side characters are your typical bunch you find at school: the nice guy, the bully, etc. I’ve heard how the series differs from here so I’m tempted to give the second book a go.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: med-high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: physical and magical altercations, weapons violence, creature attacks, bullying

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Book Review: The Book That Wouldn’t Burn (The Library Trilogy #1) by Mark Lawrence

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Length: 576 pages
Author: Mark Lawrence
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: May 9th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A boy has lived his whole life trapped within a vast library, older than empires and larger than cities.

A girl has spent hers in a tiny settlement out on the Dust where nightmares stalk and no one goes.

The world has never even noticed them. That’s about to change.

Their stories spiral around each other, across worlds and time. This is a tale of truth and lies and hearts, and the blurring of one into another. A journey on which knowledge erodes certainty, and on which, though the pen may be mightier than the sword, blood will be spilled and cities burned.

I AM INTRIGUED.

I have never read a Mark Lawrence book (though I’ve always been meaning to do so) and I felt like this was a great introduction and a series I definitely want to continue with. I love books about books and this was very interesting. While a lot of the world building and magic system clicked for, I do feel like I was missing those last few pieces (and maybe that was me listening on audio issue) to fully grasp what was happening. There was SO MUCH time warping situations and I am notoriously baffled by those.

I did love the characters. It’s dual POV between Livira and Evar. I was smitten with these two. There’s a slow and subtle romance between them that crosses time and who doesn’t love a star crossed union? And I really enjoyed them on their own too. I love seeing that growth and exploration of self over a book. I am very curious about how this connection will continue to play out and grow in the future books.

This was a great fantasy series starter and a hidden gem to me that I’m glad I took a chance on. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: high

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