Tag: audiobook

Book Review: The Book That Held Her Heart (The Library Trilogy #3) by Mark Lawrence

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 384 pages
Author: Mark Lawrence
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: April 8th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The secret war that defines the Library has chosen its champions and set them on the board

The fate of an infinite library hangs on one book, a book that holds the power to break the unbreakable. In the face of such forces, fragile things like hearts, family, and the world seem certain to fail.

The people most vital to Livira are scattered across time and space, lost, divided into factions, in mortal peril. Somehow, she must bring them together and resolve the unresolvable argument that fuels the library’s war. The bond between Livira and Evar has stretched and stretched again. Can it hold at the end, when things fall apart? Can it bring them together against impossible odds? This is the last chapter, the final page. The end threatens and no one, not characters, readers, or even the author, will emerge unscathed.

IDK Y’ALL.

I have been enjoying this series and I don’t know if it was a case of right book, wrong time but I could never get into this one. It was like the words went in one ear and out the other immediately. I appreciated that the author started the book with a series recap though. Those are always a huge positive with big and dense fantasies.

I think the amount of characters got to me, plus the fact that my favorites were all separated for so long throughout. I kept waiting for a bit more and that didn’t happen until the closing moments. I’m mostly happy with how things wrapped up and I still think I’d try a future series by this author.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: low
  • Romance: one fade to black
  • Violence: moderate

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ARC/ALC Book Review: I Could Give You the Moon by Ann Liang

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA Magical Realism Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Ann Liang
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release Date: April 14th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Everyone loves Chanel Cao—except Ares Yin.

While Chanel has spent her entire life curating a picture-perfect social media personality—from her body to her hair to her camera-ready smile—Ares has spent his trying to hide in the shadows. But Ares’s brother is missing, and Chanel’s parents have secretly separated, and their only hope is each other.

Ares is willing to do whatever it takes to find his brother, and Chanel will do anything to keep her parents’ secret. When the two meet and share a vision of the future—where Ares’s brother appears, as Chanel’s house burns to the ground—they are determined to use each other. Ares believes Chanel is the key to finding his brother, but Chanel is convinced if she gets Ares to fall in love with her, she’ll save her family house—and her parents’ crumbling marriage.

But Ares isn’t interested in the fake personality that Chanel has used her entire life to get affection and adoration. If she’s going to save her reputation, she’s going to have to let Ares get to know the real her—and risk real feelings.

Thank you to the publisher for an ALC and Storygram Tours for the gifted copy.

WHAT A RIDE.

I have read and loved many of Ann Liang’s books so I jumped in head first when this came across my email and it did not disappoint.

Note: I do need to go back and read If You Could See the Sun because that is one of the few I haven’t read. I had no issues with reading Moon though!!

Any who, this was a JOURNEY. It read like a coming of age novel, add in a romance, character arcs and romantic suspense?! I was glued to my headphones. I loved the push and pull between Chanel and Ares. It’s a short book that brings a well executed slow burn.

The little touch of magical realism worked perfectly. It didn’t overwhelm the plot but rather influenced it enough to keep things moving. It brought the intensity up and kept me wondering how things were going to settle.

I loved the growth for both Chanel and Ares AND the fact that it was dual POV (not dual narrators though FYI). There’s a lot of good conversations in here and while tough I do think it stayed in the young adult category well.

it was just a really dang good book y’all.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Magical realism romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: mild-moderate
  • Content warnings: kidnapping of a child, arson, street fighting

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Book Review: The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Emily J. Taylor
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s
Release Date: February 25th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The New York Times bestselling author of Hotel Magnifique returns with another glittering dark fantasy about a deadly mystery that spans worlds and a teenage girl who must risk everything to uncover the truth.

Seven years ago, Maeve Abenthy lost her world, her father, even her name. Desperate to escape the stain of her father’s crimes, she lives under a fake name, never staying in one place long enough to put down roots.

Then she receives a mysterious letter with four impossible words Your father was innocent.

To uncover the truth, she poses as an apprentice for the Otherwhere Post, where she’ll be trained in the art of scriptomancy—the dangerous magic that allows couriers to enchant letters and deliver them to other worlds. But looking into her father’s past draws more attention than she’d planned.

Her secretive, infuriatingly handsome mentor knows she’s lying about her identity, and time is running out to convince him to trust her. Worse, she begins to receive threatening letters, warning her to drop her investigation—or else. For Maeve to unravel the mystery of what happened seven years ago, she may have to forfeit her life.

COLOR ME SURPRISED.

This was not on my radar until I had multiple friends reach out and say that I needed to go check it out. THEY DID NOT LET ME DOWN. I enjoyed this one a lot. It had some Divine Rivals vibes that I could get behind but felt like its own story.

I thought the magic system was interesting (if not, slightly confusing, I’m not sure I still 100% understand). All of the script writing and enchantments were intriguing to see and watch at how that progressed the story.

I liked Maeve as the FMC though she also drove me up a wall with the amount of times she spent running away or saying she was going to run away. There was a repetitive nature to her monologue that took me out of the story.

The romance was sweet though. I enjoyed Maeve and Tristan. They had my favorite kind of banter filled scenes but also a lot of moments where they could be closer and let each other in. It’s not the main focus of the story but I thought genuinely enhanced it. The mystery mostly kept my attention too which was nice.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy + Romance
  • Language: very low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low

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Book Review: Swept Away by Beth O’Leary

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Rating: ★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Beth O’Leary
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: April 1st, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Two strangers find themselves stranded at sea together in this epic new love story by bestselling author Beth O’Leary.

What if you were lost at sea…with your one-night stand?

Zeke and Lexi thought it would just be a night of fun. They had no intentions of seeing each other again. Zeke is only in town for the weekend to buy back his late father’s houseboat. Lexi has no time for dating when she needs to help take care of her best friend’s daughter.

Going back home with a stranger seems like a perfect escape from their problems. But a miscommunication in the dark, foggy night means no one tied the houseboat to the dock. The next morning, Zeke and Lexi realize all they can see is miles and miles of water.

With just a few provisions on the idle boat, Zeke and Lexi must figure out how to get back home. But aside from their survival, they’re facing another challenge. Because when you’re stuck together for days on end, it gives you a lot of time to get to know someone—and to fall in love with them.

WOW THIS WENT DOWNHILL.

I was fully in the 3.5-4 star camp for the first 60% of this book. I loved the idea of this romance. Being stuck out at sea is definitely not a contemporary romance plot I’ve read before and I love unique romance/settings. But after starting off with a one night stand, I was a little bereft. It held strong though with all of the open sea drama (and even though I have MANY questions about the sexual encounters + hygiene, I digress).

Then we got to the back on land drama and good heavens, WHYYYYYYY. The first twist tackled me like a blindside and about sent me over the edge, and then upon finding out a little more about the situation I absolutely fell off the edge. It soured the whole story for me and didn’t do anything for the characters.

This just didn’t feel like Beth O’Leary. I’ll cross my fingers for the next one.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: fade to black
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: minor blood (cleaning + stitching of wounds), being lost at sea, loss of loved ones (recounted)

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