Review: Alchemised by SenLinYu

 

One of the most hyped books of the year and I found it underwhelming. I do wish I would have read the fanfiction first, but I am just not into Hermione and Draco fanfiction, or Harry Potter fanfic in general. This book is in three parts and the first art was 5 stars. I was obsessed. I would get through 100 pages a day and then I got to part two and saw that it went back in time and I was not interested.

I did not want to read about the war and honestly, the entirety of part 2 could have been cut in half because it was a constant back and forth of Helena and Kaine blaming themselves for being hurt, and hating each other. The rest was Helena being a healer and working herself to death trying to save people. It was a slog to get through and it took me the longest to read. I just wanted to get back to the present day with Helena being a prisoner in Spirefell and having to deal with the necrothralls.

There were some parts in part 2 that actually shocked me because it answered questions and gave context of how things happened, like how the manacles were put on her and whose idea it actually was. I was really glad to get to part 3, because she was finally getting her memories back and she once again started trying to find a way to save Kaine. 

While reading this, I kept seeing reviews about how the end made people cry and I got to the end, and I was underwhelmed. I was expecting major deaths and none of that happened. I wanted shit to go down, and it was boring as hell. Also knowing that this was a Harry Potter- Handmaid's Tale fanfic, I was constantly naming and identifying what character was who. It got to the point where I was reading the names as the Harry Potter characters. 

I love the world and the magic system, I just wish that we got to see more than just the Alchemy Tower, institute and the outpost. I am sad to say that this is definitely overhyped!

Review: Finally Mine by Lucy Score

 

I finally got to the sequel in the Benevolence series. I have been eyeing this for the past year because I was obsessed with Pretend You're Mine. I read that in two days, I could not put it down. This installment took me almost a week to read. I just was not as invested in the story because a good portion of it seem to be a retelling of the first book of Luke and Harper. Obviously the beginning of this would be a retell because Gloria was the victim.

We follow Gloria and Aldo and their connection and love story. The scene that started it all was Gloria being assaulted in the bar parking lot by her boyfriend Glenn. Harper ends up jumping into the fight and Luke ends it. Gloria is finally leaving Glenn, which is what sets him off. He gets arrested finally and Gloria goes back to her mother.

This book is heavy on domestic assault and the victim shame and guilt that follows. The whole town knew what was happening and all Gloris sees is pity. She feels that she is a disappointment to her mother because she let it go on for 10 years. Aldo is finally happy that Gloria took the initiative and left Glenn. Gloria starts to take steps to better her future. She gets a job at the florist and she becomes fast friends with Harper and Sofia. 

Gloria is constantly thinking that the town calls her poor little Gloria Parker and it is mentioned a lot throughout the book which got really annoying and it made me just feel horrible for all the domestic abuse survivors out there that don't have support after leaving and constantly torture their selves with unhealthy thoughts. 

Gloria and Aldo grow close and eventually Aldo deploys. While on his tour, his convey hits a roadside bomb and he has to have his leg amputated. He comes back broken and angry that his future with Gloria has been snatched from him once again because he believes that since he lost his leg, he is no longer whole and not capable of keeping her safe. 

Alot of things happen and Harper and Luke's relationship and scenes from the first book make a reappearance which was really frustating because it took me out of Gloria and Aldo's story. I know that I will be dealing with some more scenes from the first book and this book in the next book. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Halloween TBR

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl.

I have not done a top ten post since June. Life has been busy and I have missed these weekly posts. It is Halloween which is my favorite holiday and my plan for the week is to read spooky books. It is not exactly 10 but, these are small so I am hoping to get through a good bit. If yall have read any of these, let me know. 

Review: Lantos by Lizzy Ford

 

Fourth short story in the Omega series. I had a hard time focusing on this when I started it. I usually read these when my kids go to events at our local library and I am sitting in the main part. I know the reason I had trouble focusing and it definitely affected how I enjoyed this one when I reread the next day. 

In the previous story, we learned about Phoibe's shadow friend Lantos. We learn his origins and his motives in this story. We learn that he is the son of a titan and that he also has a red ribbon around his wrist to keep him hidden from the Gods. He is trying to find out what happened to Mismatch and why he never showed up. We also learn that he was tasked by his father to befriend Phoibe and kill her to start a war with the Gods. 

Lantos wants his dad favor and respect and wants to be part of his family after being orphaned on the streets when he was a child. He finds Alessandra's home and he finds a badly injured Mismatch. Mismatch is dying and Mrs Nettles is trying to heal him. Mismatch ends up turning back into his human form after Lantos takes his memories of Alessandra. 

The end of this story, we get Mismatch's real name which is Adonis and he has killed a wealthy family and taken over their high rise apartment and he gifts it to Lantos. I hate that this really changed my whole attitude and feelings toward Mismatch. His name is god awful....no pun intended.

Review: Phoibe by Lizzy Ford

 

This is the third novella in the Omega miniseries and this one is so freaking heartbreaking.

This follows Phoibe who is the 6 year old Crown Princess of Greece. She was introduced in the previous novella, Mismatch. Mismatch is the gargoyle who is her long dead ancestor who was the Crown Prince of Greece. The whole story Phoibe is waiting for Mismatch to come back and rescue her and teach her about her curse. He never does because of what happened to him in the previous story.

Phoibe has a speech impediment and she is ridiculed and shamed for it by the High Preistess. The High Priestess pissed me off because she was so verbally and physically abusive to Phoibe. She also kept throwing her dead mom and disappointment in her face. Mismatch told Phoibe not to talk to anyone and so she stops talking. She ends up being punished severely for it and being starved. 

Phoibe has a shadow friend named Lantos and that is the next novella. He ends up talking to Phoibe in her mind and helping Phoibe escape the abuse by killing the High Priestess. That is where the story ends and we don't know if Phoibe ends up in a better situation with another High Priestess or if that they would give her a worse one. 

Review: Road To Mastery (Light Novel) volume 1 by Valerios

 

I was sent a box a couple months ago that had a lot of light novels included and they are for future blog tours. I read this one first because I have been really into Dungeon Crawler Carl and I have been wanting to read more like it. This is a light novel and I had no idea what that was going into this. Upon starting this, I learned that this is a long ass series and the first book is over 700 pages. With this being a light novel, the first book has been cut into parts to make it into an easier read.

I don't know if any of the content in the chapters were edited out, but I did get the first book on KU and I looked at the chapter list and the chapter titles and numbers are the same. So I am looking forward to volume 2 of the light novel to be released next year.

I would continue reading the actual full length novel, but I have so many priority reads for the rest of the year. I ended up giving this a 3 out of 5 star because the whole part in the nature reserve ad Jack our main character fighting the goblins and the bears was very very reptetitive and I was annoyed. I was also annoyed with how he kept putting al of his stat points into physical and not mental and that the reader was constantly reminded that he almost had a PhD and so he was already super smart.

The fight with the black wolves really upset me because I like wolves and having to read that their bodies and heads were exploding from his punches were just too much for me. Also the information and the section of the Dao root and it merging with his punches and how it exactly it happened flew right over my head.

Where this volume leaves off is he has just gotten rid of the faction that controlled Valville. I honestly think that this was not a cliffhanger. I think it should have ended a chapter earlier to keep the intrigue for the next volume. 

Review: Three Shattered Souls by Mai Corland

 

Another 5 star in a new favorite series. This is the third and final book and I am so sad that it is over. I took my time reading this one because I didn't want it to end. I have been putting this review off for over a week. The book picks up with Mikhail's POV and it is clear that he is being affected by the water scepter.

I could pick up on the character difference and I was honestly not really into his character. I was hesitant to put much thought into it because I didn't want it to change how I felt about the book, but I realize now that the feeling I had made sense. He gets more bloodthirsty and ruthless because he is still not grieving the loss of Euyn and he is also processing that he is the lost prince of Gyan. They plan to go back to his homeland to take back his throne from Yusan. 

Thiyung is free from the prison and he learns that his father has crowned himself the king of Yusan. That must mean that King Joon is finally dead. He also learns from Hanna that Daysum is truly dead and that Sora is still alive, but the whole group beside Royo have a million mun bounty each on their heads, so al of the realms under Yusan rule are on the lookout.

Sora is finally told of Daysum's death by Mikhail and Mikhail finds out that his father Ailor was branded a traitor and taken to Idle Prison. Sora is then told that Tiyhung was killed by execution and she attacks Mikhail because she thinks that he held back that information.

Aeri and Royo finally become a couple and they have sexy time which is implied but not told in detail. The group go back to the western count to get his help and that is where Mikhail learns of more betrayals and the count's true intentions. Sore learns that another poison maiden is on the side of King Seok and the count.

So much happened in this that I will be re-reading this because I did find myself getting a little bored at times and really thought this would be a 4 star. The ending though made me cry when Dragon Lord Aeri blessed Sora and made her the first Dragon Queen of Yusan. I do hope that in the future we get another series from Royo and more from Aeri.