Tag: Romantasy

Reviews

Bride Review

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Bride is a fast paced, easy to binge paranormal romance with just the right mix of gothic atmosphere, humour and heart. The whole setting feels moody and cinematic, with enough bite to keep it interesting without ever feeling too heavy. If you’ve been in a bit of a reading slump, this is the kind of book that can pull you out of it.

Misery and Lowe are such a great pairing. Misery isn’t your usual brooding vampire, she’s witty, sharp and has a warmth about her that makes her easy to root for. Lowe, on the other hand, is calm, grounded and genuinely kind in a way that feels refreshing for a werewolf character. Their connection builds slowly but with purpose, and the banter between them had me smiling the whole way through. The slow burn was perfection, though I’ll be honest, the spice wasn’t my favourite.

The side characters really added something special. Serena, Ana and Alex all had strong personalities and I loved the friendship dynamic that surrounded Misery. It made the story feel more alive and balanced out the romance nicely.

The plot itself is engaging and emotional, full of small twists and tender moments that kept me invested from start to finish. I do wish there’d been more world building, because the Vampyre Were alliance had so much potential. I wanted to know more about their history and how their politics worked, but it sometimes sat in the background while the romance took centre stage. Still, the writing is easy to follow and Hazelwood’s humour shines through in just the right places. It’s great seeing her step away from her usual academic rom com setup and try something new.

The ending felt a little rushed but it wrapped things up well enough to leave me satisfied. I really enjoyed the emotional payoff and the way Misery and Lowe’s relationship evolved into something strong and genuine. It’s got that signature Hazelwood chemistry, just in a darker and more supernatural setting.

Overall, this is a fun, addictive romantasy that blends humour, heart and a touch of chaos. It’s fast, funny, and full of character and even though a few things didn’t completely land for me, I couldn’t put it down.

⭐️4/5 stars This one really surprised me. It’s not perfect but it’s definitely one of Ali Hazelwood’s stronger books.

Reviews

Powerless Review

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This had all the makings of a solid romantasy, but for me, it didn’t quite live up to the hype. I can see why it’s captured the attention of so many readers, but I struggled to stay fully invested in the story.

The plot is packed with familiar tropes (trials, forbidden romance, enemies to lovers) which some readers will find comforting, but I found it a bit too predictable. At times, it echoed The Hunger Games so closely that it became hard to see the book as its own. While the writing itself wasn’t bad, the reliance on cliché moments left little room for originality or deeper world-building.

Paedyn was easily the standout. She’s sharp, confident, strong-willed and I genuinely enjoyed following her journey. Her friendship with Adena added some much-needed heart and those scenes were often the ones I looked forward to most. Kai, on the other hand, didn’t fully land for me. He had moments of charm, but his dialogue often felt repetitive and at times unintentionally cringey. The tension and banter between him and Paedyn, while initially fun, became a bit much by the halfway point.

The middle of the book dragged and the ending felt rushed, with too much crammed into the final chapters. I kept waiting for a big twist or something to set the story apart, but it never really came.

That said, I wouldn’t call this a bad book, it was entertaining in parts and there’s definite potential in the world Lauren Roberts has created. I’ll be curious to see how the series develops, especially if future books offer more original storytelling and less reliance on tropes.

⭐️2/5 stars A fun ride, but I was hoping for a little more spark.

Reviews

Rebel Witch Review

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I enjoyed Rebel Witch, even though it didn’t quite live up to Heartless Hunter for me. It was still a fun read overall, especially getting to see more of Rune and Gideon.

Rune came across a lot less confident in this one, though she’s still quite brave and fiercely loyal. I appreciated how determined she was even when things got tough. That said, she did spend a lot of time in her own head, overthinking everything. There were definitely moments where I wished she’d just speak up instead of thinking in circles.

Gideon had his moments too. He’s still the closed-off, broody type, but you can see how much he cares about Rune. I didn’t feel quite as drawn to him this time though, some of his choices were a bit confusing and it didn’t always feel consistent. Still, I liked seeing more of his softer side.

The romance was a bit rocky early on, there was a LOT of miscommunication and going back and forth but it settled more towards the end and felt a lot stronger. When they finally let their guards down, it was nice to see their connection come through.

The first half of the book felt quite slow and a bit scattered. I found myself waiting for things to really click into place. But the second half was much more engaging when the pacing picked up, the stakes felt higher and I was more invested in what was happening. I just wish we’d seen more of Cressida and felt a bit more immersed in the wider conflict, especially considering the setup from book one.

Even with its flaws, I’m glad I finished it. It wrapped things up in a mostly satisfying way, and I did enjoy being back in this world.

⭐️ 3/5 not perfect, but still an entertaining follow-up with characters I enjoyed spending time with.

Reviews

Gild Review

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*CONTAINS SPOILERS*

King Midas rescued me. Dug me out of the slums and placed me on a pedestal. I’m called his precious. His favored. I’m the woman he Gold-Touched to show everyone that I belong to him. To show how powerful he is. He gave me protection, and I gave him my heart. And even though I don’t leave the confines of the palace, I’m safe. Until war comes to the kingdom and a deal is struck. Suddenly, my trust is broken. My love is challenged. And I realize that everything I thought I knew about Midas might be wrong.

Auren definitely has some form of Stockholm syndrome because King Midas really has done a number on her. I can understand her being happy as his favoured one had she been fully aware and ‘in’ on everything that King Midas was doing. But as the story has unfolded and she’s found out there is a whole lot of information that she hasn’t been made privvy to she has to realise that she can’t keep living like this. I have a feeling she isn’t going to happily go back to her cage after everything now.

All the men that have been introduced so far in this series are all quite horrible. Not only to Auren but the other saddles and women as well. Even the guard who she befriends on the trip is still more loyal to Midas than he is to Auren. I can’t see how any of them can be redeemed as far as I’m concerned so it will be interesting to see how the rest of the series play out.

Being first a self published romantasy book I feel as though Raven Kennedy was gearing the book towards those types of readers. At the time reading this I wasn’t personally offended by the language or any of the abusive scenes that take place but I can definitely see how a lot of people would. Be that as it may I was still very engaged and intrigued by the plot of this book, I finished it in basically one sitting. It was a slower start but the pace definitely picked up the story progressed and there was definitely plenty of twists and turns that were quite entertaining.

⭐️3/5 stars quite an addictive read

Reviews

Fourth Wing Review

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*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general – also known as her tough-as-talons mother – has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders. With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter – like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant. Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom’s protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Violet as our main protagonist was just a little bit annoying to me. The book really just overemphasized how she’s ‘not like every other girl’ at Basgiath. She’s so tiny and breakable yet she ends up being the most powerful, it was just a bit predictable in that manner. But I was definitely able to overlook this easily and just enjoy the book for what it was. I do enjoy the fact that it shows us various time that she does have to take measures (like wrapping her knees) so she can keep up with everyone else.

Xaden was very well written. He definitely is one of my favourite male main characters I’ve read in a while. Again though it’s just following that same fantasy formula where we have the sexy antagonist who is just misunderstood. There are a few instances where he does live up to his name and is quite ruthless and I like the fact that he doesn’t baby Violet and calls out Dain for holding her back. Speaking of Dain, again very very predictable what was going to happen with him. I knew from the first couple chapters that he was going to end up betraying Violet and it was a bit frustrating that she didn’t see that until the very end.

What saved this for me was the dragons and the plot twists for sure! I love the fact that the dragons are still shown as being quite wild even though they are bonded with humans. They will kill other riders and the cadets with no qualms and we’re not afraid to let everyone know it. The stakes were always high because of this and kept me on the edge of my seat for sure. I love that they are have such different personalities and they corresponded so well with their riders.

⭐️4/5 stars I can thankfully say this did live up to the hype for me!