My cousin recently purged her collection of romance books and I managed to snag a couple for myself. These are all books I’ve heard about before but never got a chance to read so I am super excited to get stuck in soon!
📚 Romance Book Haul 📚
Category: Updates
🐉 Inheritance Cycle Reread Update 🐉
*SEMI-SPOILERY THOUGHTS AHEAD*
I’ve just finished rereading Brisingr and honestly, I’m still loving this series more with each book. The magic, the battles, the creatures, it’s all such a good time. That being said, this one really dragged in parts. There’s a fair bit of filler, especially in the middle and I forgot how much of it kind of blends together with the rest of the series.
The start was strong with Eragon and Roran getting revenge for Garrow and I loved the parts with the dwarves and elves, especially when Eragon forges his sword. I was a bit sad there wasn’t more Roran though, he’s such a solid character.
And that ending… brutal every time. It’s done so well but still hurts. I barely remember what happens in Inheritance, so I’m actually keen to jump into it next and see how it all wraps up.
Reading Slump
April has been a crazy month so far in terms of what’s been going on in my personal life and unfortunately this has ended up with me being in a bit of a reading slump. I’ve moved house and had to go on a couple last minute trips out of town for sorry business and it’s really been messing with my reading mojo. However, I’ve been trying to get back into the reading spirit by ducking in to any book stores I come across in my travels and this one in Kempsey NSW is one of my favourites that I wanted to share! A true hole in the wall bookstore with books seemingly bursting from the seams. I always feel better when I’m surrounded by books and I need to remind myself how much I actually love reading and the escapism it gives me from my everyday life! Do you have a favourite bookstore??
Creature Feature Collection Review
*SOME SPOILERS AHEAD*
I binged this collection of novellas over the weekend and thought why not combine them all in one review! Overall this was pretty good, I didn’t overtly hate any of the stories but a couple of them I know for sure I’m going to forget everything that happened in a couple days.
The first book I read was Ankle Snatcher by Grady Hendrix. This one was very memorable for sure. The way the book starts out really draws you in and even though this was one of the shorter novellas it was actually pretty haunting and horrific. I would love for this concept to expanded into a full length novel. ⭐️3-5 stars
The next one I read was Big Bad by Chandler Baker and I really enjoyed this. It was one of the longer novellas but I thought it enabled us to connect with all of the characters a lot more. I loved the multiple perspectives that we got, we got a pretty even amount of time between each of the characters and even though I thought the main was going to be the mother the daughters took up a lot of the book. A decision made by one of them being the catalyst for how the book ended I thought was very well done! ⭐️4-5 stars
In Bloom by Paul Tremblay was next and it was a bit of a snooze honestly. There was a lot of scientific talk to start the book off and that kind of stopped me from getting to invested in the plot. There was too much jargon and not enough time establishing the characters and setting. I did enjoy the flashback scene but then I couldn’t quite envision in my mind what was going on for the majority of the plot which for being such a short read isn’t ideal. The ending was disappointing as well. ⭐️2-5 stars
My first Josh Malerman read was next with It Waits in the Woods and I was pleasantly surprised. I had a feeling his writing was either going to be a hit or a miss for me and I actually really enjoyed this book. I thought the premise was solid and the execution was on point. I was invested right from the start and felt like I made a connection with the characters from the onset. It felt like a pretty well rounded story for being a novella, it didn’t feel like anything was missing or needed to be added. It isn’t the most mind blowing story I’ve even read but I was engaged throughout. The audio of the monster’s voice in the audiobook was one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever heard! ⭐️3-5 stars
The Pram by Joe Hill was one of the novellas that I’m going to forget as soon as I finish this review. The overall premise was promising but was another snooze of a story for me. The main character wasn’t likeable at all and came across quite insufferable at times. I think if this was a multiple or even just a dual perspective story with his wife we would of been able to make more of a connection with them and I might of actually cared about what was happening. The setting and atmosphere gave me the horror vibes but I couldn’t make myself care about either of them and the consequences of his actions. ⭐️2-5 stars
And to finish it off was Best of Luck by Jason Mott and this was pretty good! We start off with a bit of a bang and as the story progressed we hear about the life of these characters and the contrast between them. It felt pretty rudimentary to me though, I definitely think this is one of the stories that could of been a lot more successful if it was a full length novel. I did enjoy the twist at the end but it didn’t leave me feeling fulfilled at all. ⭐️3-5 stars
Sugar Review
When 35-year-old Satara Stratton discovers her husband Dean’s treacherous affair with her best friend, Lilah, she plunges into familiar deceit and death. Having disposed of men before without a hitch, she finds a new thrill in this betrayal. But with Lilah on a crusade to expose her guilt, Satara must outpace everyone to keep her secrets safe. Her fate intertwines with a Love Witch whose tempting spells seem a perfect solution to Satara’s woes. With newfound power at her fingertips, she gleefully manipulates the affections of those around her. Yet, Satara’s lust for love proves her ultimate vulnerability. She soon learns that while it’s easy to bend others to her will, controlling her own heart is a perilous art indeed. Prepare for a darkly compelling journey where the boundaries of desire and devastation blur, and the quest for love becomes Satara’s most lethal game.
I loved how unhinged Satara was! She didn’t shy away from justifying any of her actions and in her mind she was doing what was necessary for her to survive. I really enjoyed the flashbacks to her past and the context it gave us in terms of her traumas and heartbreaks that led to her obsessive nature and subsequent killing spree.
Not sure how I feel about the whole sting operation. It made the book feel a bit cheap in my eyes, like we went through all of that for nothing really. I didn’t expect it and it was very surprising so that aspect I enjoyed but I thought it was going a different direction so that brought me out of the story a little. It was interesting to see how from their perspective Satara was dangerous and deranged and how that contrasted to her experience.
I was on the edge of my seat throughout the course of this book! Satara got herself into so many wild situations that had me cringing with second hand embarrassment so hard. I was so thoroughly entertained with all her antics and given her unpredictable nature and ruthlessness paired with the elements of murder you just never know what was going to happen next! I really enjoyed this book and flew through it which is usually an indication that I am having a good time.
⭐4/5 stars Game. Set. Match!!!!!
Amy Leigh Reads 