I think I just found my favourite book of the year.
Though, I didn't read much this year. But still. This one squeezed a fuck ton of tears from my eyesI think I just found my favourite book of the year.
Though, I didn't read much this year. But still. This one squeezed a fuck ton of tears from my eyes. And the fact that hits me right in the gut with the OCD representation. I've never felt so seen before.
And also the fact that this book hits that childhood friends to lovers trope right while I'm in the middle of my kdrama era again. I mean, is this destiny? I've been literally searching for a plot like this for weeks.
Gosh. I love this book and this is why I read dammit!...more
So. That was an interesting read. Never would've I guessed that this book has an element of darkness into it. As in, I can definitely say this is a daSo. That was an interesting read. Never would've I guessed that this book has an element of darkness into it. As in, I can definitely say this is a dark sci-fi romance. Without spoiling too much, I would say someone who enjoyed Laura Thalassa's brand of antiheroes and antiheroines would enjoy this one.
And it surprised me to realise this is an old book (as in it was firstly published in 2022). Heard nothing of it and I'm glad that by giving ARCs out, it kinda give this book a second breath, and giving me a chance to discover this hidden gem!
What else can I say? Much of it is too spoilery and I can't ruin it for you guys.
One little critic though, I need more world building. Of the two planets. Heck, history of how things to become as it was wouldn't be wrong. I love world building and I demand them every time I started a new fantasy book.
That's all, y'all!
*I have received an ARC copy of this book from the Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review....more
Before anything else, heed the trigger warnings. Mainly, the rape scenes in here. It ain't pretty and I like everyone to come into this book with a prBefore anything else, heed the trigger warnings. Mainly, the rape scenes in here. It ain't pretty and I like everyone to come into this book with a prepared set of mind.
That out of the way, this one reminded me of Trancendence. Just a little bit. Our guy is here not as sweet as Ehd. Oh no, he's definitely not. The things he did to our girl. I have no idea how she forgives him so easily.
Yup. That's where the dark romance comes in. Because if this is a your typical contemporary, I dunno why, but I would find it hard to look pass what he did early in the book. Alas, it's dark. You'll know it's dark when he wouldn't let her leave.
Yeesh. In terms of writing, I like it. I have never read a book from this author before, so I'll keep an eye on her releases from now on. The plot, crazy ass alpha hero aside, you know I couldn't not enjoy a good crazy possessive caveman attacking his mate, albeit it was hard (no pun intended) to swallow the earlier scenes.
All in all, heck, I enjoyed it. The super protective brothers? What's their issues btw?
First of all, mind the triggers (especially for self-harm).
my oh my. this one has the potential to be so good but whenever it gets good, the story s First of all, mind the triggers (especially for self-harm).
my oh my. this one has the potential to be so good but whenever it gets good, the story shoots itself in the foot.
The dark themes? I'm in my emo state and I love them. Hell, a dose of antihero is what I need right now. The bloodier the better. The unstable heroine with her unhealthy obsessions? My my, that's me right there.
And then, Part 2 appears. And that didn't exactly jibe with this book's pacing and my own. I was high up there when suddenly we were taken back 10 months earlier. I don't like this change in the timeline. It would've been better, in my opinion anyway, to make it chronological? Maybe condense this part and make it a Part 1. The whole challenge to get through the labyrinth? Unnecessary. Didn't fit in the story at all (except as an homage to the Labyrinth oc).
So yeah, that's my honest thoughts on this one. Gotta go....more
⭐⭐⭐ A man on the path of revenge, met a stranger in a bar. It took me awhile to figure To make this easier...
Story 1: Fractured Prelude by Winter Paige
⭐⭐⭐ A man on the path of revenge, met a stranger in a bar. It took me awhile to figure out how the taboo theme would be incorporated in this one. Should've seen that coming. (view spoiler)[it's a cousin thing/MF (hide spoiler)]
Story 2: Escape by Cole Denton
⭐⭐ A boy wanting to escape from his family farm. Damn, I was half asleep while reading this one and yikes. That was definitely something. (view spoiler)[it's a grandpas-and-grandson thing/MMM (hide spoiler)]
Story 3: We Are Chaos by Yolanda Olson
⭐⭐⭐1/2 Probably the most memorable story in this anthology. And of course it's from this author. She loves to fuck up with your head. Anyway, wow. That was... rough and yet fits the theme. (view spoiler)[it's a mother and son and stepson(?) thing/MFM (hide spoiler)]
Story 4: Love Trips by K. Webster
⭐⭐1/2 This was almost sad. The whole thing sounds tragic and melancholic although they burnt those sheets with their actions. (view spoiler)[it's a triplets thing/MMM (hide spoiler)]
Story 5: Indecent by A.A. Davies
⭐⭐⭐ Did that really ended that way? Gosh, talk about blue balls. Story wise, it was a little slow (in terms of a novella). I have honestly little to say about the book, and more about myself. So I'll cut it off here. It was pretty much a mindless smut you've and I've been looking forward to. (view spoiler)[it's a uncle/niece thing. /MF (hide spoiler)]
Story 6: Butterfly Kisses by Ally Vance
⭐⭐ Hmmm... Another short story read while I was half asleep. Just to warn you guys, there's noncon stuff in here. Made it a little uncomfortable for me to read. So yeah. I usually vibe with Ally Vance short story but not this one. (view spoiler)[it's an uncle and niece thing/MF (hide spoiler)]
Story 7: Our Little Secret by Jennifer Bene
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Ohho. Finally we got a winner in this one. Borderline yucky but the author made it work. Rightly so, I went straight to bed after this one (it's weird to say but this anthology is what I'd considered my bedtime stories were this whole week). Probably my favourite in this anthology. This is what I expected when you say taboo, kinky and smut romance in the blurb.
Theirs was a star-crossed love, but they’d fought long and hard to change the alignment of those stars, and their sca3.5-could've-been-better-stars
Theirs was a star-crossed love, but they’d fought long and hard to change the alignment of those stars, and their scars were markers of that victory.
Okay. Finally! I did it with this book! I've been holding on to this copy since it was released last year and been waiting for the slump to pass over for me to enjoy it to the full capacity.
With that said, it was okay. Generally, I would've said this book was a decent 3 stars but the end there made me bump it up a little. Something about star crossed lovers won me over.
(spoilers warning)
A few issues for me though, that prevented me from enjoying it more. First, is the Devil's Island setting. I don't know about you guys, but the whole Island arc took too much of the book, in my opinion. It should've ended earlier, to make way for the rebellion arc but eh it didn't. Second issue, and this is my problem, I need more angst and steam in this one. These two protagonists seemed to be resigned and a little too hopeless for my liking, and made the whole experience a little depressing. They seemed very down and it brought the whole tone of the story down. Not good for lil old me. Next, the climax. It just ended. No big showdown. It ended.
However, refering to that climax, I also could admit I prefer how it went down. It's apt for the duology about a couple of pacifists, stopping the war, to have the pinnacle scene to involve almost to less casualties than you would expect. Keris is the of course more of a word than sword guy. Hence, it's apt.
All in all, it was a decent finish to the second duology in the Bridge Kingdom series. It started great and ended on an okay note. I'm excited to see who else will play their role in the next book. ...more
It has been a while since my last truly dark gory romance (it's not even a proper romance if you ask me. We need a better term to call these fucked upIt has been a while since my last truly dark gory romance (it's not even a proper romance if you ask me. We need a better term to call these fucked up books).
First of all, mind the trigger warnings. It dumps you right into the story, which revolves around a pair of siblings (it's vague to know whether they're blood-related or not due to the 'stuff' that happened in the book). These two main characters would be what you call morally grey characters. Each has their own dark desires and secrets. And some lead to uncomfortable and disturbing gory scenes. So yeah, keep that in mind.
All I can say is that it's definitely the sort of book you want to read when you're in need of something graphic and bleak. Some other authors that come to mind that excel in this particularly small niche of torture porn/gory romance sort of books would be Charity B., Natalie Bennett, and maybe Jaimie Roberts? Oh and of course Yolanda Olson. Check them out if you want to lose your insanity more.
So yeah, leave your hopes and dreams outside the door.
Trigger warnings: (view spoiler)[tepfather/daughter, stepsister/brother, grooming, childhood sexual abuse, daddy kink, main characters are 17/18, dub and noncon, implied necrophilia, mental and physical torture, violence, murder and death on page, graphic torture, BDSM, coercion, child poronography, paedophilia (hide spoiler)]...more
Yikes. So that didn't go quite as well as I thought.
The horror elements though were done extremely well. There were parts in the book (the 'd3.5 stars
Yikes. So that didn't go quite as well as I thought.
The horror elements though were done extremely well. There were parts in the book (the 'doors' & 'moving belly' chapters) really scared the hell out of me. I also love that we got the Baron's POV before he met Lustina. It was so fascinating to see things from his view, especially how besotted he was over her even before she knew about his existence.
Also, Farryn's chapters were the highlights of this book. It was disturbing, chilling and far more interesting if you ask me. I kinda wish we got more of her in this book. Jericho's parts were just... eh. Maybe that's why I didn't enjoy this as much as I did the first one.
Overall, it was an okay ending. I do prefer the first book compared to this one, mainly because of the plot was not as convoluted and the pacing was better in that one (in this one, it was pretty slow up until the 70% mark).
Trigger warning: (view spoiler)[miscarriage, attempted rape, rape, pedophilia, one really fucked up scene with a child being cruelly gender conditioned to a male (hide spoiler)]
p.s.(view spoiler)[Trying to explain Elyon's existence to your friends during a casual dinner party would be so interestingly complicated (hide spoiler)]...more
There goes another incestuous romance under my belt. Oof, what to say about this one? It was definitely psychotic and murdery. Like, I expected the psThere goes another incestuous romance under my belt. Oof, what to say about this one? It was definitely psychotic and murdery. Like, I expected the psychotic hero but honestly not the trail of bodies he left behind.
If you tell me this book is about parenting a monster baby, I wouldn't believe you. For such a fun Look away if you don't want to be spoiled.
For real.
If you tell me this book is about parenting a monster baby, I wouldn't believe you. For such a fun campy smutty monster romance, I would never think that this book would address a few real-life kinds of stuff in them, especially about mental health, body insecurities, fat-phobia, postpartum depression, parenthood, inclusivity, consent, and perhaps a few more that flew off my radar.
It was, in my own experience reading it, a little heavy on the emotional stuff than I expected. Our heroine, Delora, here really went through a few dark phases that I know most of us have been and it was jarring to see it on the same page as monster sex lol. That's not the issue here.
My issue, however, stemmed from the problem that is the lack of chemistry between these two people. It all happened far too fast and then suddenly they were parents to this weird Mavka baby? Then, it was all about the youngling (which btw, props for the creativity because I laughed my ass off when the dad accidentally threw the 'newborn' across the room right after they were born). Plus, I noticed how we didn't get to know the heroine much further other than the fact she loves painting and she murdered her husband and his mistress.
Magnar though? I found him the greatest joy to have in this book. His innocence was so endearing and I enjoyed reading about how he's navigating his daily life with Delora. There is just something about these Duskwalkers that is so adorable and ruthless at the same time.
As for the whole side plot with the Demon King? I'm intrigued and super curious about how that'll turn out. But most of all, I want to know about more about the deep void father and the Owl Witch's backstory. I kinda hope we'll get a story about them in the future.
All in all, it was still a pretty satisfying read for me. The chemistry was not there for me unfortunately but the plot and storyline still hold up for me. Pretty unique story if you ask me. Especially for the youngling subplot.
p.s. I may didn't enjoy this as much as Book 1 but let me tell you, it did drew a couple of tears off this coldhearted heart of mine....more
It's weird that a book like this rarely evoked such rage from me, no matter how outlandish and awful the plot was.
Now, those books that grounded in rIt's weird that a book like this rarely evoked such rage from me, no matter how outlandish and awful the plot was.
Now, those books that grounded in reality, with real life issues and social commentary, now that fills me with rage. Those books I need to stay away from. If I want anything real, I could just check out the latest news on tv or the news. Now, that's a great way to spend your day in existential crisis.
Anyway, too heavy. Let's talk about this damn book.
It was definitely dark dark. Tons of triggers. But overall, in the end, it gave me a big 'eh' vibe. Something I noticed with any of K.Web books, is that they gave me this detachment feeling I have with the things that happened in it. However, let me emphasis that this is ME thing. I think this book would traumatize a lot of people if they aren't ready for the things happened in it. What doesn't trigger me, may trigger you up MASSIVELY. Me? I'm too eff up. With that said, there are things that happened that was taken too far. It's not an enjoyable read, it's more of a fucked up, torture/rape galore of a story. Don't expect a romantic relationship coming your way here. This is not that kind of book. I would say, this is the kind of book you read if you want to torture your psyche.
This book reminded me of one of those final episodes of a long-running sitcom. The one where they look back on all those fond memories, of them sharinThis book reminded me of one of those final episodes of a long-running sitcom. The one where they look back on all those fond memories, of them sharing the same apartment, hanging out together, drinking out in bars, getting high, and some having a secret relationship with each other in the tight-knit circle. And the realization that that part of their life is now over and has life brought them into separate directions.
It's so bittersweet. So of course, I did cry. All I want to say is that it's perfect for me....more
Now, I'm having trouble deciphering my own feelings about this book.
At one point, it was a 5-star read for me. Hands down, one of the best reading expNow, I'm having trouble deciphering my own feelings about this book.
At one point, it was a 5-star read for me. Hands down, one of the best reading experiences for me, especially when I could relate too well to the heroine's feelings and experiences. Because damn it, I've been there and I'm sure I'm not alone. Though almost all of the highs and lows of this book happened in the heroine's head and through her perspective, I actually found it a better story to be told.
I spent my childhood imagining what it would be like to be Win. To be loved just as I am. I thought maybe if I smiled like him or joked like him… But none of it worked. I understood then that some people are easy to love. And I’m just not one of them.
But taking my personal bonding session with Riley aside, I realized the rest of the book was pretty unsatisfying. The whole thing with the mom was not really fleshed out in the end. Riley's knee. Nick's issues.
Talking about Nick... He was painted as an almost dream guy initially to me. Great humour, lovable, has a menagerie of animals in his house, artistic, reliable and the list goes on. I'm half in love with him the moment he pulled Riley out of her den of depression. He was the perfect balance for our sweet broken Riley. But as the story progressed, the more annoyed I found myself over him. I hate the pain he caused her. I hate his double standard (women can throw themselves at him but catch her talking with some other guy too friendly and he flipped out) especially when he refused to reciprocate her feelings. I was like, fuck you dude, you suck.
❁ lilyreadsromance (and other stuffs too)
>
Books:
emotional-wreck
(215)
Loading...
