This is probably L.J. Shen's most wholesome book to date and by far my favorite work of hers. If you're looking for a swoonworthy romance wit4.5 STARS
This is probably L.J. Shen's most wholesome book to date and by far my favorite work of hers. If you're looking for a swoonworthy romance with likable main characters, give this one a try!...more
"It doesn't count if you steal them," I told him, unable to resist a smile and the way butterflies assaulted my belly. His low laugh cha
4 STARS
"It doesn't count if you steal them," I told him, unable to resist a smile and the way butterflies assaulted my belly. His low laugh chased me through the spacious room, "I beg to differ," he argued. "Danger, uncertainty, potential time in the slammer. These flowers were won at a price. Anybody can buy flowers from a store. They practically give them away. But how many guys have scaled two stories, rewired alarm system and risked his life just to get you flowers?"
Okay, I really enjoyed this one. There were a few things that I didn't like but they're minor. When I read a romance book, it's very important for me to feel the chemistry/tension/love between the characters, sometimes I even DNF-ed the ones with brilliant plot and writing just because the romance failed to make me feel anything (unless it's not a romance book to begin with, or the romance is not the primary focus so it's okay.)
With Sayer and Caro, I really felt that they're totally and completely inlove with each other. They met when they were kids, Caro 'saved' Sayer and they had an unbreakable bond eversince. This book has a dual timeline (past and present) and the flashbacks were definitely my favorite; they were teenagers, bestfriends, an inseparable team of con artists, along with Frankie and Gus. Sayer kind of reminded me of Kaz Brekker and Han Alister and honestly I think it's one of the reasons why this book appealed to me lol (I have a huge weakness for male mcs with infinite swagger.) Sayer was very confident and beguiling, he didn't just want to be bratva or member of the syndicate, he wanted to be their king. I'd honestly beg the author to write another book detailing their teenage-young adult years, the flashbacks were not enough, I want to see more of them performing heists. PLEASE, RACHEL, GIVE IT TO ME I'M WORTH IT.
The 'present' timeline and second-chance romance aspect of the story worked for me too. It was angsty and exciting and had a hint of mystery that kept me guessing and flipping pages. Again, this book is not perfect and there were things that I didn't like (for ex. how they kept their secrets etc) but they're minor and didn't really affect my whole reading experience. Also, I loved that there's NO CHEATING so hooray for that. Overall, it's a 4/5 rating for me. :)...more
PLOT - 4.5 WRITING STYLE - 4 CHARACTERS - 4.5 ROMANCE - 5 for my favorite pair, 3 for the other one UNPUTDOWNABLE LEVEL - 4
**I wrote this review 4.5 STARS
PLOT - 4.5 WRITING STYLE - 4 CHARACTERS - 4.5 ROMANCE - 5 for my favorite pair, 3 for the other one UNPUTDOWNABLE LEVEL - 4
**I wrote this review after finishing book 3. I just decided to post it on book 2 instead because it’s my favorite.
Loved it! The plot was enjoyable and truly engaging. It reminds me of The Black Witch, one of my favorite YA Fantasy - academy series. The world-building was awesome and the characters were lots of fun.
The only thing that I didn’t like was the romance between one of the Vega twins (Tory) and the two Heirs (Darius & Caleb). I’m pretty okay with love triangles, but when the female/male mc starts getting actively intimate with another character, while the plot actually points to a different love interest, I find it kind of off-putting. I woudn’t say this is a reverse-harem, but Tory’s romance story didn’t feel very exclusive either. I also wasn’t a big fan of some scenes that suggest ‘intimacy’ between different characters who were not in a romantic relationship. (view spoiler)[(for example, Tory had to kiss Max because of the siren call thing. There were a lot of scenes like that.) (hide spoiler)]
Darcy and Orion, on the other hand... *fans self* their chemistry was off the charts!! It’s funny because after I finished the Aladdin retelling series by the same authors, I browsed through their books and stumbled upon Zodiac Academy BUT the moment I read that there’s going to be a “student-professor” romance (Darcy & Orion), I suddenly lost interest. I gave it a try—after my GR buddy, Anjuli, assured me that the age gap was only around 5-6 years—and I’m glad I did! Now they're one of the main reasons why I love this series.
Orion was a Professor in his mid-20’s, but it felt like he’s just an older student with extra authority (hot!) + bonus natural swagger (hot hot!) I also loved Darcy; she’s sweet, compassionate, and very level-headed. My favorite scenes are of them in the middle of class, where Orion either picked on her a lot or played favoritism and acted nonchalant about it lol. I loved them and I really hope their relationship continues being exclusive.
THIS BOOK/SERIES IS SO UNDERRATED!!! It’s a combo of Aladdin-Rapunzel retelling so there are two “loveteams” + four POVS all in all (multi-POV books usually bore me to death but not this one!) It’s highly enioyable, swoonworthy, and very hilarious! I finished reading book 1 & 2 in just one day! ...more
Why did I not read this book/series earlier?! I totally loved it! Friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes, add some angst and I'll def4.5 STARS
Why did I not read this book/series earlier?! I totally loved it! Friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes, add some angst and I'll definitely swoon! I enjoyed the story and there were parts that actually made me laugh out loud! I've DNF-ed a lot of friends-to-lovers books in the past because I found them dull and lacking of chemistry, I'm really glad I stumbled upon this book! It's swoon-worthy, funny, and highly enjoyable! 4.5/5...more
I honestly had a hard time deciding how and what to rate this book. I LIKED IT but I also couldn’t ignore the strong similarities between it & ’Six of Crows’ (believe me, I tried!) The similarities made me happy and a little uncomfortable at the same time. Wesley reminded me of Kaz Brekker (ugh I hate that I’m even saying this! I don’t like comparing characters, as respect to authors + there's only ONE Kaz Brekker okay!) but it’s what I felt; Wesley’s an entirely different person from Kaz, maybe less intense and more playful, but he’s giving the same vibes.
There’s a few more things that reminded me of SoC, but I eventually decided to give this book 4 stars because despite the similarities, it’s an epic gangster ‘fantasy’ story of its own. I’d tried reading 4-5 gangster books in the past, books recommended to fans of SoC, but I DNF-ed all of them. This is the first one I didn’t! The dialogues and banters were really good, the story well-written. I totally enjoyed reading it and I’m definitely going to read the next installment!...more
I really liked the way the male protagonist was written, so intense and swoon-worthy. It's actually what I'm looking for in the romance g3.5 STARS
I really liked the way the male protagonist was written, so intense and swoon-worthy. It's actually what I'm looking for in the romance genre this days—the little descriptions of the characters' stare and movement, etc (it's what brings the romance to life IMO.) My only problem with this book is that it got a bit too erotic for my taste halfway through the story + I didn't like the female protagonist that much. ...more
I’M SCREAMINGGGGGGGG OH MY GOD :((( MARIE LU, THANK YOU FOR THIS FOURTH INSTALLMENT! I FREAKING LOVE YOU!!!!
This is Eden’s story, but Day & Jun5 STARS
I’M SCREAMINGGGGGGGG OH MY GOD :((( MARIE LU, THANK YOU FOR THIS FOURTH INSTALLMENT! I FREAKING LOVE YOU!!!!
This is Eden’s story, but Day & June play a big role in this book (without taking the spotlight away from Eden.)
BUT DAMN, WE REALLY GET MORE OF DAY & JUNE AND MY HEART IS BURSTING FROM ALL THE FEELS!!!! (That’s all I can say for now!)
I suggest you reread the three previous books first, then read “Life After Legend” before diving into this fourth installment. It’s what I did and it made the whole reading experience a lot better. So, PLEASE PLEASE REREAD THEM!!
Again, thank you so much Marie Lu. This means a lot to us Legend fans. *sending you all the love*
(Thanks to Edelweiss for my advance reader’s copy!)...more
There were 2-3 scenes that made me a little uncomfortable, but woah the ~swoons~!!! I've read the author's other work, 'Fear Me,' and it was too dark for my taste (view spoiler)[there was physical abuse and the main male character was extremely cruel. Eek! (hide spoiler)] This book is sOoOo much better and less dark (there was bullying, but that's it.) It's full of angst and swoons! The perfect angsty, enemies-to-lovers NA highschool romance for me.
"A truce. No killing you in your sleep, soldier. You let me live and I did the same. Now catch me if you can."
PLOT - 5 WRITING STYLE5 STARS
"A truce. No killing you in your sleep, soldier. You let me live and I did the same. Now catch me if you can."
PLOT - 5 WRITING STYLE - 5 CHARACTERS - 5 ROMANCE - 5 (I would have swooned more if the male protagonist had been more... alpha. But I still think it's a great romance so I'm giving it a 5.) UNPUTDOWNABLE LEVEL - 5
This is one of those books I’m sure majority of my YA-fantasy-lover friends will love! I have a feeling this is going to be huge.
I didn't like Elloren that much in the first book but the story was great so I was definitely looking forward to reading The IACTUAL RATING: 4.5 STARS
I didn't like Elloren that much in the first book but the story was great so I was definitely looking forward to reading The Iron Flower.
And WOW.
I'm glad I decided to continue on with this series!
Here's a summarized/short review for now:
PLOT - 4.5 (So goooood!) WRITING STYLE - 4.5 CHARACTERS - 4.5 (Diana is my absolute favorite! And there's definitely character development.) ROMANCE - 5 (I loved the tension between Elloren and Yvan so much + Diana and Rafe were couple goals.) UNPUTDOWNABLE LEVEL - 5 (I savored it)
It's easily one of my top favorites this year. Now I can't wait for the third book!
(Thanks to Edelweiss and Macmillan for my advance reader's copy!)...more
A high 4 stars. It weirded me out at first, but only for the first 3-5% of the story. It got so much better from there! There was a lot of adventures and it had a great, swoonworthy romance. IT WAS SO GOOD!! Looking forward to more books from this author!...more
The plot wasn't very believable for me but I definitely loved the chemistry between the two MC. I truly enioyed it despite its flaws so I'm giving it a high 3. ...more
LOVED IT! My kind of slow-burn romance! Some might find it too slow, but I liked it and it's actually what I've always been looking for in romance books - the very detailed and almost day-by-day kind of storytelling. I mean, come on, if only it's possible to know/see all my favorite ships' (Raffe and Penryn, Kaz and Inej, etc.) interactions from the moment they met until they fall inlove, I WOULD.
The only reason I gave this book a 4.5 is because I felt the ending was kind of rushed? But I understand and I can say that I'm very satisfied with the relationship build up and the characters' banters. I've already read one of the author's work (The Wall of Winnipeg and Me) last year and I have to say From Lukov with Love is much better (for me).
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