Book review: The Lost Sisters by Holly Black

The Lost Sisters by Holly Black
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Short. Useless from my point of view. But anyway. I only read it for the completion of the series. It would have been better to read Cardan's POV.

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Book review: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wasn't boring. But not not-put-down-able. The twist at the end was nice and I am looking forward to the next book. The slow burn romance of it may be worth it. The writing is good enough. Hoping for better twists ahead.
I liked the part about Jude not being able to belong anywhere, not feeling like home anywhere. Being powerless and power hungry. I hated Taryn and most of all I hated Locke.
The prince hasn't caught me in his grip yet. He has been kind of a side character in this book.

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Book review: Twisted Love by Ana Huang

Twisted Love by Ana Huang
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I was really looking forward to reading Twisted Love, but unfortunately, it fell far short of my expectations. The characters felt one-dimensional and lacked depth, making it hard to connect with them. The plot was predictable and lacked the twists and excitement I anticipated from the title. Additionally, the writing style seemed rushed and unpolished, with numerous clichés that made the story feel stale. It was a disappointing read, and I wouldn't recommend it to others.

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Book review: Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF-ed this one.
Irritating writing style. It's too rowdy or 'fuck-that-shit' kinda of dialogue for me. I tried, I really tried but not mature enough or gripping enough writing for me does not cut it for me. I read good reviews and thought I'll go into it for a light cute read. But nope.

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Book review: A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber

A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

At 39%
Until now I was pitying Apollo a bit. But this is inhumane. He is the villain, not Jacks !

At 100%
That confession!!!!!

There might be some spoilers, sorry!

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Okay first my fav dialogues:

“She tried to pull away, but Jacks held tight, knotting her hair in his fist and keeping his forehead pressed to hers. "Please, Little Fox, remember.”

“Yes, I am a monster. I enjoy hurting people. I like blood. I like pain. I am a monster, but whether you remember it or not, I’m your monster, Evangeline.”

“Archer held her tighter. He banded one arm firmly around her ribs, the other he circled just below her waist, almost on her hips, his fingers splayed in a way that felt less like he wanted to restrain her and more like he just wanted to touch her--to hold her on that bridge in the dark where it was only the two of them and the rain and the feel of too many heartbeats racing between them.”

“I’m not taking you to heaven,”

“I already told you. You are the love of my life. You are mine, Jacks of the Hollow. And you’re not going to be the end of me.” “But you were dying.” “No,” she said, a little embarrassed. “I just forgot to breathe.”

“He would carry her through more than just freezing waters. He would pull her through fire if he had to, haul her from the clutches of war, from falling cities and breaking worlds . . .”

“Her memories didn’t feel so much like her past as they felt like their story. The story of Evangeline and Jacks. And it was a beautiful story, her new favorite story. She hated that she’d forgotten it.”

“I'm broken. I like to break things. Sometimes I want to break you."
"Then break me Jacks.”

“He considered setting the room ablaze just so that he'd have a reason to pick her up and carry her out, to save her one last time, before he left her for good.”

“What is the point of having friends if they’re not there to support your bad decisions?”

“I know I seem naive," Evangeline pressed on. " I know my faith in love might appear foolish. I also know it might not be enough. But I'm not doing this because I believe I'll win. I'm actually a little afraid I'm going to lose. I no longer think love is a guarantee of victory or of happily ever after. But I think it's a reason to fight for those things. I know my attempt to save Jacks could end in fiery explosion, but I'd rather go up in flames with him than watch while he burns.”

“He wanted to keep her pressed to the floor beneath him. He would have set the world on fire and then let it all burn just to keep holding her like this.”

“He glanced at her sideways. "You shouldn't stare at me like that."
"Then how should I stare?"
"You shouldn't stare at me at all." He abruptly looked away.”


**********************************

The last few days were full of tears for me. The emotions ran high. I didn't want to be disturbed while I devoured this series. I was angry if I had to look away from my pages.

Jacks was tiresome and annoying in a good way. He managed to torment Evangeline and the readers at the same time.
I never thought I'd find another character I hate so much after Umbridge, but Aurora came just near her. How could someone be that self-centred. She put a curse on Jacks that not only drove him to almost kill the girl he was in love with but then she put another curse to make his life eternally lonely by making all his kisses fatal. Only someone who NEVER loved him could survive. How can someone be THAT cruel? And above that, she still planned to free up Apollo from the tree on top of everything she had already done?!
I swear I could strangle her with my bare hands!

Little fox, Evangeline, she was everything. Brave, stupidly hopeful, eternally optimistic and yet such a pure pure soul. She forgave Marisol and then Apollo and Jacks and LaLa and every person who could and had wronged her. She was too trusting. No wonder Jacks has to keep saving her over and over again.
The most beautiful part of the book was when Jacks could read her thoughts, whether she projected them or not. Everything Jack did was amazing. Beautiful. Even his meanness, his growls, his jealousy and mostly his nonchalance.
Stephanie Garber. You made it eternally beautiful and to make it happen with no open door romance scenes. It's a feat. Getting my physical copies to mark the highlights and then bury it for my old age. ❤


My favourite scenes in the book:

The self-defence lesson
The cursed forest 'The Hallow'
The inn
The phoenix tree

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Book review: The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The second book was heart-wrenching as well. There are so many lines that I have highlighted. I could guess he was the Archer. I could guess that Castor was the chaos. But Apollo in the end was a huge twist and her losing her memories despite Jacks not using the stones for that purpose was truly heartbreaking. The part where she died was twisted. The writing is magnificent, just like the north. The stories are amazing, intriguing and beautiful. The ballad of the Archer and the Fox was a heartbreak in itself.
I love Jack's. I love Evangeline. She's perfect. Too perfect, like an angel. He is perfect in her heartbreak and mournful kind a way. I want them to be together soon. Onto the last book.


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My favourite quotes :

“It hurts, Jacks.”
“I know, love. I’m going to take you somewhere safe.”

“He held her with the type of intensity that only happens when a person wants something that isn't quite theirs.”


“The girl was dead. If her lifeless body had not confirmed it, then it would have been made clear by the horrible scream of the Fate who held her in his arms. The story curse was familiar with pain, but this was agony, the sort of raw grief that was only seen once in a century. The Fate was every tear that anyone had ever shed for lost love. He was pain given form.”

“I do not want you dead, and I’ll kill anyone who tries.”

“Glad to know you're thinking about me when you kiss your husband.”

“Jacks no longer felt like her enemy, he felt like her home.”

“Whatever it is, Jacks, you won't feel the same in a minute."
He swalloved hard and clenched his jaw. "You have no idea what I'm feeling now."
He looked at her lips, and the most tortured expression she'd ever seen crossed his face.
When Jacks wanted something, it was with an intensity that could break worlds and build kingdoms. That was the energy pouring off him now, as if he wanted to destroy her and make her his queen all at once.”

“It smelled of him; of apples and magic and cold,moonlit nights.”

“Jacks’s chest was heaving, his clothes were soaked, his hair was a mess across his face—yet in that moment, Evangeline knew he would carry her through more than just freezing waters. He would pull her through fire if he had to, haul her from the clutches of war, from falling cities and breaking worlds. And for one brittle heartbeat, Evangeline understood why so many girls had died from his lips. If Jacks hadn’t betrayed her, if he hadn’t set her up for murder, she might have been a little bewitched by him.”

“Jacks looked down on her from the dark nightstand where he’d perched himself. His long legs draped negligently over the edge of the furniture as his hands played with an apple and a knife.
“You talk in your sleep,” he drawled. “You said my name—a lot.”
Evangeline felt a rush of heat crawl up her neck. “Obviously, I was having a nightmare.”
“It didn’t look that way to me, Little Fox, and I was here all night.”

“She feared that dreams were like fairytales, a little bit true and not entirely trustworthy”

“She used to think love was like a house. Once it was built, a person got to live in it forever. But now she wondered if love was more like a war with new foes constantly appearing and battles creeping up.”

“In the morning you can forget it. You can go back to pretending you dont like me. and i can pretend i dont care.But for tonight, let me pretend youre mine”

“You're good at this,' she murmured. 'Do you often travel with girls who've been flayed?'
That earned her a soft laugh. 'No.' Then quietly, as he ran a cloth along her lower back, just below the dip in her waist. 'Would you be jealous if I did?'
I'm not a jealous person was what Evangeline intended to say, but instead the words 'of course' came out.
Jacks laughed, louder this time.
Embarrassment surged through her. 'That's not what I meant to say.'
'It's all right. I'd probably kill another man if I found him with you like this.' Jacks' hands pressed harder as they went to her shoulders and, one by one, ripped off the sleeves of her dress so that what remained of the gown completely fell away.
She made a sound somewhere between a squeal and a gasp. 'What that really necessary?'
'No, but everyone should have their clothes ripped off at some point.'
She imagined Jacks was mostly trying to distract her from all the pain, yet she blushed all the way from her cheeks to her chest.
Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw him smile.
And for a second, nothing hurt.”
*******************

My favourite scenes in The ballad of Never After :

The secret hallway of Slaughterwood
The ride to hollow
The Hollow
The vampire lair just before the end.


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Book review: Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I jumped from this book to the next one right away so the complete review is in the third book.


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My favourite quotes :

“I believe there are far more possibilities than happily ever after or tragedy. Every story has the potential for infinite endings.”

“If you think I'm jealous because someone else got to stab you, then you're right.”

“He held on to her as if she were a grudge, his body rigid and tense, as if he really didn't want her there, and yet his arms were tight around her waist as though he had no intention of ever letting her go.”

“Stop flashing your fangs. I’m the only one who gets to bite her.”

“He looked like a bad decision some unfortunate person was about to make.”

“I'm curious about a lot of things. I'm curious about you, but I don't want you to bite me!"
The corner of Jacks's mouth twitched. "I've already done that, Little Fox.”

“She didn't make being alone seem lonely as Evangeline had always feared. She made it seem like an adventure, as if every moment were the start of a story with endless possibilities.”

“His teeth grazed her pulse. 'Jacks-' It was suddenly impossible to form words. His mouth was against her throat and his teeth were on her skin. HIs teeth! Evangeline finally pressed against his chest. But it was as useless as trying to battle a block of marble. Hot, sculpted marble. She wanted to tell him not to bite her, but saying the word bite didn't seem like the wisest idea just then. 'You won't want this later.'
'Not really thinking about later.' He licked her, one languorous stroke up the column of her neck.
She gasped. 'You don't even like me.'
'I like you right now. I like you a lot.' He gently sucked her skin. 'In fact, I can't think of anything I like more.”

“She could picture him flashing those deceptive dimples as he tricked an angel into losing its wings just so he could play with the feathers.”

“Wait- are you saying that your kiss isn't deadly if you don't want it to be?'
'Careful, Little Fox, you sound curious. But you shouldn't be.”

“If Evangeline had a dagger, she imagined she could have sliced into that night as if it were a cake and stolen a piece of it to take a bite of all the wondrous dark.”
*******************

My favourite scenes in Once upon a Broken Heart:
Lala's home
The crypt

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Book review: The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was a disappointment. I had to force myself to complete it after a certain point. The writing was too dragged on and repeatitive. Not engrossing enough for me and then the characters were not much endearing or relatable for me. I sometimes regret that I can't review a book as a reviewer but as someone who connects or feels stuff with the book. It did had a surprise of mention of 'around the corner cafe' from 'Marriage for One'. And a few snippets of where there was losing-control and assertive Mr. Aaron Blackford came into being, I was swooning. But mostly it was almost bearable. Not re-reading kinda stuff.

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Book review: Marriage for One by Ella Maise

Marriage for One by Ella Maise
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book started on not a very promising note because I wasn't able to digest the fact he asked her to marry for her property and it was kinda crude till he kept up the Charade. But the moments they shared were sweet and so well detailed and written. The concept for me was on a 3 star level but the depiction was another story. Could have been much better but yet didn't disappoint in that regard. The feelings matter was again another story, I couldn't connect to any of the characters much. Something was amiss from the start. I loved their banters, their arguments. The make up after the fight was really really good. And again I'll go back to the tender moment, one of my favourites so far. So 4 stars it is.

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Book review: The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

6% - one chapter down and I KNOW this is the lake house thing! I am so sure. The server was the chef and man... It's going to be a roller coaster isn't it? Ending the first chapter with that huge grin is my first sign of "hooked, line and sinker". I know... It's gonna be good!

58% - 24 chapters down and this is not lake house or mix of Divine rivals with letters that travel. It's an apartment. There is nostalgia and grief. The way the story about her aunt and her death(suicide) is talked about is tearing. Heartbreaking. How grief can settle inside your bones and never let go. This is a really unique concept of a book. I am sure it's going to be 5 stars. It already is till now..

100%
It was poignant. Sublime. The way the author kept the mystery of him knowing about the 7 year slip was good. Everything was tied well in the end. I related most to her aunt. She carried a monster on her shoulder. The way the grief of losing has been the integral part of life of both the female and male lead, it has been done in a very delicate manner. Everything is done in refinement. Beautiful.

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Book review: Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book had a particular seed of contemplation on the people pleasing instinct of some people. It was well presented. The storyline was good, about the academia and the way the politics is handled and shown is quite correct (I am in academia as well). The power play of mentors, I am thankful I haven't had to experience it that way but yes it exists. The fierceness of Jack's calling out Elsie's bullshit was good too. I liked Ali Hazelwood's writing the funny and pure way of putting things and especially the analogies she brings up. Hilarious and entertaining. I finished the book in record time because again it's Ali Hazelwood. I love her. She grips from the start. The way the book starts at a point of the interest and slowly eases you into her world. Amazing.

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